My Espada Boys
by TheCatWithTheHat
Summary: Imprisoned for a crime he does not remember, 5-year-old Ulquiorra and ten of his odd friends are shocked to discover that they are the reincarnated forms of eleven killing machines...and Soul Society has deemed them dangerous. Beware of chapter 7. Complete.
1. Boy Meets Boy

**A/N: I hope I know what I'm getting myself into with this. I honestly don't think I do.**

**Discalimer: All Bleach characters and property belong to Tite Kubo and Viz Media.**

"Hey! GIVE ME THAT!"

The boy looked up from his creation in the sandbox. Then he looked back down to the trowel in his hands.

"You mean this." It wasn't a question.

"YES! GIVE IT TO ME!"

"What do you say?" the boy asked, turning the trowel over in his curiously pale fingers.

"STOP STALLING!"

The boy with the pale fingers looked up. Until then, his longish black hair had been covering his face, but now it was visible. His whole body was the same pale color; almost white. His eyes were a startling green. But the most distinct feature was that his forehead, on the left side, was wrinkled and bleached, to the point that it looked like he'd fallen asleep in a pool for about five years. Or like it had had something covering it for as long, and had suddenly uncovered it. Beneath his long black hair, his neck on the left was the same way.

"It's not polite to stare," he said quietly.

The other boy recoiled momentarily, then recovered. "Just give the shovel!"

"Awfully demanding for just five years old."

"Not like you're any older!"

"True." The pale boy studied him. He had white hair, so white it was almost blue. His eyes were also light blue, and he had an intense look about him, like he only behaved in extremes. But he also had it: the weirdly wrinkled spot, except his was more distinct, seeing as his skin was darker, and the spot was right over his right jawbone. It extended all the way from his chin to his cheekbone, covering part of his mouth, making it look almost purple.

He put his hand out again, more forcefully this time. "Just give it to me, freak!"

"If I'm a freak, then you sure are one too." The pale boy returned to his creation. The other boy frowned uneasily, not used to people standing him up. Then he sat down in the sand next to the pale boy.

"What're you making, then, freak?"

"Ulquiorra."

"What's that?"

"My name," said Ulquiorra.

The other boy studied him. "Well, what are you making, Ul-kee-or-ra?" He pronounced it strangely on purpose, and Ulquiorra threw him a withering glance.

"A building."

The boys both looked at the building. It was a large mound of sand with other, smaller mounds clustered around it.

"Grimm," said the other boy.

Ulquiorra looked up. "Grim?"

"No. Grimm. Two M's. My name. Short for Grimmjow, but I like Grimm." Unconsciously, Grimm traced the white spot on his face. "Have I seen you before?"

Ulquiorra shrugged. "I don't know what you see. Your eyes belong to you, not me." He picked up a stick and traced some letters in the sand. "There."

"What does it say?"

"Can't you read?"

"No," said Grimm defensively.

"L...A...S...N...O...C...H...E...S. Las Noches."

Grimm made a face. "I don't speak Mexican."

"It's Spanish." Ulquiorra looked at the letters he had drawn in the sand. "Neither do I. I have no idea what that means." If Grimm had asked him to explain, Ulquiorra would have found that he was unable to. Something had made him want to trace those letters.

Instead of asking, Grimm looked away. Another extreme; his face was mashed into tight, hard lines, uncommon on the face of such a small child. "I have to go," he said, getting up. "Bye, Ul-kee-or-ra."

"Do you want the shovel still?" Ulquiorra called after him, but Grimm was gone.

**!**

Ulquiorra found Grimm at the park again the next day. He was crouched over Las Noches, shaping the buildings.

"Hello," said Ulquiorra.

Grimm looked up. "Oh. It's you." He returned to the buildings. Ulquiorra squatted down next to him.

"What are you doing to my Las Noches?"

Grimm scowled. "Fixing it. The little buildings aren't supposed to be round."

Ulquiorra stopped in his tracks.

"How do you know that?"

Grimm's hands stilled on the sand. He didn't look up at Ulquiorra; instead, he kept his bluish hair to him.

"I don't know."

Ulquiorra dismissed it. Grimm was right; the little buildings _were_ supposed to be square. He helped him until Grimm stood.

Ulquiorra looked up at him, wiping his nose with the heel of his hand. Then he wiped his sandy hands on his pants.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Let's play with swords," he said. "Here's mine," he added, picking up a branch. "And here's yours. Name it!"

He gave Ulquiorra another branch. It was slightly smaller than Grimm's. He thought for a name.

"Mine is Pantera," Grimm said happily.

Ulquiorra said nothing, gazing at the stick in his hand. "Okay. Mine's name is...Zangetsu."

Grimm frowned. "No. That's a bad name. Do something else."

Ulquiorra couldn't explain the feeling that saying the name Zangetsu gave him. It was kind of...scary.

"Okay," he agreed. "My sword is...Murciélago."

A breeze blew through the park. Ulquiorra's hand tingled on the stick. Grimm didn't notice.

"YAAAAHHH!" he yelled, and swung Pantera. Ulquiorra's eyes widened, and he brought up Murciélago hastily. Holding on to both ends with his pale hands, he locked eyes with Grimm, who's smile, if it got bigger, would either spill off his face or make his cheeks explode. He had a crazy insane look in his eyes as he pressed Ulquiorra backwards. Ulquiorra sidestepped and Pantera fell to the ground, bouncing off of Grimm's sneaker.

"Hahahaha!" Grimm laughed. He threw his head to the sky and make his fingers into claws. "Mua ha ha ha ha!" He brought his head down and grinned at Ulquiorra. "How do you like my eevillll laaauughterrr?" he leered.

"Impressive." Ulquiorra's face didn't change. He swiped at Grimm, and Grimm blocked. Their movements were clumsy, and finally, Grimm's Pantera crumbled.

Ulquiorra's facial expression still did not change. Grimm scowled.

"Fine, you win, Ul-kee-or-ra," he grumbled.

"Grimm!"

Ulquiorra didn't see who said Grimm's name, but Grimm sighed and dropped the other half of Pantera. "I gotta go," he explained to Ulquiorra. "Are you starting school tomorrow?"

"Yes. I'll see you there, right?"

Grimm nodded and bounded away, almost too gracefully. The wrinkled skin on his cheek glistened in the sunlight.

Ulquiorra sighed and looked at his stick.

"Murciélago," he whispered to himself. His hand tingled again. He raised Murciélago high and brought it down on a tree branch.

Murciélago cracked and crumbled. The upper half fell backwards over the branch. Ulquiorra stooped and picked it up, holding a half in each hand.

He looked up.

A man with two girls was watching him. One of the girls had short brown hair and a girly expression, the other had shoulder length black hair and a red baseball cap. They were swinging. But the man was watching him intently. Something about his spiky orange hair and deep chocolate eyes looked familiar to Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra shook his head, turned, and headed home, his sticks clutched in his hands like trophies. Behind him, the man watched him trudge away, and a crease appeared between his heavy orange eyebrows. He stood and watched Ulquiorra trudge away, Murciélago held in two pieces in his pale hands, dragging through the dirt.

It was too bad Ulquiorra's hands were full. Then maybe he could have clutched at his chest when he shivered. But he didn't look back.

**Heh heh…R&R?**

**Oh yeah: next chapter, meet more Espada?**


	2. Boy Meets Girl

It was a shame that only one part of Murciélago could fit inside his house. The bigger half wouldn't fit in, no matter how hard Ulquiorra pushed at it. It just made the box dent and warp.

Whatever, Ulquiorra thought, climbing inside his house. His box, really. The larger piece of Murciélago he left on the outside of the box, tucked under an old blue tarp that he had scrounged from someone's garage. It sent a little chill down his spine.

"Murciélago," he whispered.

He curled up - the park was a long walk from his house, and it was dark now - and fell asleep.

**!**

"Hello, Grimm."

The small boy turned to see a pale hand on his shoulder. "Yo, freak," he sneered. Ulquiorra's facial expression did not change, silent in the face of scorn.

"You know that freak?" Grimm's friends said incredulously.

Grimm looked at Ulquiorra uneasily. But he was still young; it never occurred to him to lie. "Kind of." He zipped up his white jacket, his palm sliding over the white and black striped panther prowling over the right breast. Then he turned and faced his friends, leaving Ulquiorra to rub his hands tiredly over his weirdly wrinkled spot.

The man he'd seen in the park yesterday just would not leave his mind. Every time Ulquiorra thought of him, a shiver wracked his body, and his bones ached. Who was he? And why did he seem so familiar?

The Sensei at the front of the room clapped her hands. "Okay, boys and girls. Find your seats!"

Ulquiorra sat down in the nearest desk. Glancing to his left, he saw a girl with hay-colored hair and a scowl. To his right was Grimm. Grimm shot him a sneer.

"All of you know how to write your names, correct?" Sensei called. There was a flurry of nods from all around Ulquiorra. His eyes widened in panic. No, he did not know how to write his name. He lived in a box off of East 55th street! When would he have learned something like that?

Sensei narrowed her eyes at him. "Can you write your name..." -she looked down at her list- "Ulquiorra?"

Her gray eyes widened, and she drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes settled on him, then moved out, focusing on the girl next to him, focusing on Grimm. She pressed a hand to her heart, took a deep breath, and focused her orbs on Ulquiorra. "Well?"

Ulquiorra's heart thumped wetly in his chest. He swallowed. "No, ma'am."

"Well, why ever not?" she asked. Then her eyes fell on a note on her papers. "Oh, I see. Well, everyone, I will pass out a paper and pencil. I want each of you to print your names on the paper. As neatly as you can! If you mess up, turn the paper over. When you're done, I will come around and tape your names to your seats. Any questions?"

"Yes. What happens if we mess up another time?" Grimm called. His cronies laughed. Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed in disgust.

"Then you will have to choose which mistake you prefer, Mr. Grimmjow," Sensei said calmly. Grimm wilted. "Okay, everyone. Here I come."

She slowly began making her way up and down the rows of desks. Grimm received his, and, gripping his pencil tightly and unnaturally, began to write his name. The letters were large and ballooned, but they were nonetheless letters. Far better than what Ulquiorra could do.

Next to him, the blond girl was printing her name. Her letters were short and squat, and her lines were bold. Ulquiorra looked to see her facial expression, but her collar was turned up, covering the bottom half of her face. He glanced back down. _Hallie_, her card read. Hm.

"Ulquiorra," the Sensei said quietly. His attention snapped back. "Do you need a hand?"

"Yes," Ulquiorra said truthfully.

"Pick up your pencil." She leaned over him, her auburn hair brushing the back of his neck.

Ulquiorra closed his fingers unnaturally around the pencil. He lifted it, and with his other hand attempted to make the fit more comfortable. How did people do this every single day? he wondered.

"Good." Sensei put her hand over his. Her hand was warm and chalky feeling. "First comes the U..."

Together they traced the letters in his name. Her skin was so much darker than his, each finger looking orange compared to his own. He was so busy watching the contrast that he didn't notice when they finished the A and his name was written.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-Sensei," he said respectfully.

"You're welcome," she said, and wrote one more thing on his name tag. Then she moved to the front of the room, and Ulquiorra squinted at the extra note.

It said MURCIÉLAGO.

Surprised, he looked up at her. She winked. Then she moved back up and began writing on the board.

**!**

"Ichigo, I'm not kidding you. There are three Espada in my kindergarten class!"

Ulquiorra froze. He had been walking out to recess when he'd passed the music room. The door was slightly ajar, and the voice coming from within was definitely Sensei on her cell phone.

"Which ones?" she said. "Hmm...6, 4, and 3." There was a pause. "Okay, um...I can't say their names, someone might hear." She paused. "Yes, they have the same names. Okay, how about blue, green, and yellow? No, not Nnoitra! The other yellow one. Yes, her. And the other two...Well, talk to Urahara-san! I don't know what to do. But don't tell Renji-kun or Rukia, okay? I don't want the Soul Society to know." There was another pause. "Okay. See you later. Love you, too."

There were footsteps. With a burst of speed, Ulquiorra sprinted away from the door. He turned the corner just as Sensei came out.

"Hello?" she called, but he was gone.

Ulquiorra thundered down the stairs. Bursting out onto the playground, he headed for the sandbox. He'd always been drawn to sand, for some reason. He just couldn't get enough of it. Even when it was in his hair, under his fingernails…he didn't care. He loved the gritty feeling of it when he rolled it between his fingertips. So he always played in the sandbox when he had a chance to.

Except there was already someone in the sandbox. It was that girl, Hallie. She was very blond. Her hair was raggedly cut, like she'd done it herself, and her eyes were a kind of turquoise. Her collar was folded up over the bottom half of her face, covering her nose and mouth. She didn't look up when she sensed him approaching.

"Hello," Ulquiorra said hesitantly.

Hallie didn't say anything. Her hands kept shaping the sand, and Ulquiorra looked down at what she was making.

"Hey," he said, surprised. "That's Las Noches." He recognized the shape from the one he'd made at the park the last two days. "How did you find out about that?"

Hallie didn't say anything, but her hands kept moving over the sand. Ulquiorra sat down to help her, stilling his hands when he felt eyes on his back. He looked up to see Grimm watching them with longing.

"What are you looking at those freaks for, Grimm?" his cronies called. Grimm turned away.

"Just wondering what freaks do in their spare time," he told them, just loud enough for Ulquiorra and Hallie to hear. Hallie's eyes narrowed a little bit. Ulquiorra shook his head.

"You might not believe this," he said, "but yesterday me and Grimm were at the park. He played in the sandbox with me. And then we played swords with sticks. I won."

Hallie's eyes widened, and she stood.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

Again, no words passed her lips. Ulquiorra was beginning to wonder if she was mute. He watched her as she marched across the playground over to Grimm.

Grimm turned as she approached. Her back was to Ulquiorra, so he couldn't see what was happening. But then Hallie reached up and folded down her collar. Grimm looked down at her mouth. His eyes widened. His cronies whimpered. Grimm looked up just in time for Hallie to reach up and slap him across the face, right over his white spot. He doubled over in pain as Hallie dusted off her hands and folded her collar back up.

"Miss Halibel!" called the sensei on duty. "Miss Halibel, please come with me. There is no hitting on the playground. Please come with me."

Ulquiorra watched in amazement as Hallie marched over to the sensei, who waved over an older boy. "Mr. Starrk, please escort Miss Halibel over to the office."

The older boy, who had shaggy brown hair, gray eyes, and a solemn pull to his face, gently put his hand on Hallie's back. They walked off to the office, Hallie marching a little bit ahead of the boy, still not speaking. Her arms were crossed, and his shoulders were slightly slumped in defeat. She sure did a lot of marching. Maybe she was trying to make up for the fact that she couldn't talk?

Ulquiorra went over to Grimm, whose cronies had fled when Hallie had hit him. He was rubbing his disfigured cheek. The bleached white had turned a little pink.

"Are you okay?" he asked Grimm.

"I don't need your sympathy," Grimm snapped. "Freak."

"You know what my name is," Ulquiorra reminded him calmly. "We had this discussion, _Grimmjow."_ He pronounced Grimm's real name harshly, and Grimm narrowed his light blue eyes at the pale boy.

"Yes, I do, _Ul-kee-or-ra," _he said, over-pronouncing Ulquiorra's name. Ulquiorra looked at him in disgust.

"See you around, then, Grimm."

"See you around, _freak."_Grimm howled with laughter, elated at coming out on top. Ulquiorra turned on his heel and stalked away as Grimm's cronies drifted back into place, his boxy T-shirt swaying. Sand had slithered down through the holes in his jeans, and into his dirty sneakers, but he didn't care. He loved the sand. Even when it was in his hair, under his fingernails…he didn't care. He loved the gritty feeling of it when he rolled it between his fingertips. So he went back to the sandbox to construct the city in his dreams.

**So hey. I'd like to respond to some reviews here…**

**BetrayalIsBeautiful: Well, there's two more for you…so I hope you are satisfied! And, interesting pen name. **

**D4ancingD4wn: Yep, that's kind of why I started this. **

**Kajune: Weird! That's a real kowinkydink. I read yours…it was very interesting! I'm looking forward to reading more…**

**Icedragonshiki: It's coming. If you couldn't tell, the teacher is Orihime. I'm building up to the grand meeting now…**

**Fatalism-x-Nihilism: I'm glad it caught your attention.**

**XBlackened MiseryX: Wow! You sure know what you want. Well, here it is on a silver platter.**

**R&R?**

**-TheCatWithTheHat**


	3. Boy Meets Killer

**A/N: Hey! I'M BACK! I'm sorry it took so long for this next chapter! Although all my people that have Author Alert for my Maximum Ride stories are probably really pissed right now since I've been MAJORLY slacking off there…I DON'T CARE! I'm the author! I can do what I want!**

**Speaking of author alert…-coughs- Well, I get a notification every time someone subscribes to it and…there's a lot of author/story alerts from this story…but almost no reviews! So hey! If you're going to take the time to put it on alert, it'd be real nice if you could just…you know…review it…**

**Disclaimer: All Bleach characters and property belong to Tite Kubo. –falls asleep because disclaimer was so boring-**

When they got back inside, Kurosaki-sensei said it was circle time. The class sat on the rug and awaited her instructions, which were to say their names, favorite color, and favorite animals. Also anything else they could think of. She gave a little smile and tilt of her head as she said this. Ulquiorra liked her a lot.

She smiled again. "I'm going to go first. Well, my name is Orihime Kurosaki. I teach kindergarten at Karakura Elementary. My favorite animal is...Hmm..." She tapped her chin. "My favorite animal is kittens! My favorite color is light orange. I have a husband named Ichigo and twins named Sora and Masaki. And that's it!" he pointed at Grimm. "Will you go next?" she asked him.

Grimm grinned. "Sure thing, Sensei. My name's Grimm. I like white panthers and the color of light blue. I also like sand and destroying things."

Sensei paused. Her lips formed the words "destroying things", and she looked a little scared for a second. "Okay," she said, recovering and looking at Ulquiorra. "You next."

Ulquiorra started. "Um, okay. My name is Ulquiorra. I like the color of green, any shade. But especially my eye color. I also like bats. And I like sand, as well. The aspect of -"

He stopped. He had been about to say that the aspect of death he represented was emptiness. But what the heck did THAT mean?

"-death I represent is sacrifice," someone said. Ulquiorra looked around to see Hallie coming in the room.

"Destruction," murmured Grimm, looking confused.

Kurosaki-sensei shook her head slowly. "Halibel, please sit down," she said. She almost sounded like she was begging. A small girl with greenish hair and light eyes coughed.

"Loneliness," she murmured. She looked a lot like that guy earlier, Starrk or whatever his name had been. Maybe they were siblings. Ulquiorra was started to get kind of confused.

"Okay, you can go next," Sensei said, pointing at the girl, who cleared her throat.

"Hi. I'm Lilinette Gingerbuck. I have a half brother named Coyote Starrk. He's in fifth grade. I like dogs and the color pink. I also have only one eye. But Mama said I can't let you see what it looks like underneath my patch." She pulled aside her long bangs, and sure enough, there was a white eye patch. But coming out from under the eye patch was-!

Wrinkled, bleached skin. Almost as if-!

She shook her hair back into place before Ulquiorra could get a good look. Everyone was murmuring. Lilinette glared around at people before nodding at Sensei.

The rest of the class went. Ulquiorra didn't hear anyone else's name. He was in a confused daze for the rest of circle time. _The aspect of death I represent is emptiness._ Emptiness. Sacrifice. Destruction. Loneliness. All four of those things were very bad. Was that why Sensei looked so scared all of a sudden?

After circle time, she told all of the children to go to their seats while the afternoon teacher came. "In the afternoon, you'll have a different teacher. Most days, I'll come back to dismiss you. But today, she will. How does that sound?" she asked, and her happiness at everything was intoxicating. They had to say it sounded good.

Sensei wrote some things on a piece of paper and then opened the door for the new teacher. Everyone greeted her. Ulquiorra still felt very confused and dazed, and he didn't hear her name. Just before she walked out of the door, Sensei said:

"Ulquiorra, could you please come with me?"

Ulquiorra's chair scraped on the floor as he stood slowly. Everyone's eyes followed him as he slowly went to the door, his overlarge shoes clomping on the floor. He ducked under Sensei's arm and stepped out into the hallway, and she closed the door behind them.

"Come on," she said, holding out her hand. Ulquiorra took it. Her hand was warm and soft, just the way he'd imagined a mother's hand would be. He followed her trustingly out to the parking lot of the school and into her car. It was a beat up old car, the kind you would expect to be dirty on the inside. But Sensei's car wasn't dirty; in fact, it was meticulous. It smelled wonderful, too.

"We're going to go visit someone," she said. "He's a doctor, but not a doctor for children. So he's not going to do any medical stuff to you. I know him very well, and I would like for him to meet you. Okay?"

"Okay," said Ulquiorra. "That is fine."

Sensei put the keys in the ignition, and the car roared to life. Ulquiorra jumped and looked at the seatbelt.

"Go ahead and put it on," she said.

He just looked at her. Realization dawned. "Oh, right. Okay, I'll help you." She leaned over him and fastened his seatbelt.

"Thank you," he said.

She leaned back. "It's not a problem, Ulquiorra," she said happily.

They backed out of the parking space and went into the road. Ulquiorra pressed his face to the glass. He'd never ridden in a car before. It was exciting. The cars all around them whooshed by, and Ulquiorra jabbed his finger at the glass.

"Look!" he shouted excitedly, seeing a purple car rush by them. Sensei looked and laughed. "That is cool!" she said happily.

Ulquiorra watched cars for a little while. Then he said, "Who are we going to see?"

"Well, Ulquiorra, in my opinion, you are a very nice boy. You're smart and healthy. Boys like you deserve many things, and one of those things is a home. So I'm going to talk to some people and see what I can figure out. Okay?"

Ulquiorra turned at looked at her. "Wait. Are you being for real? Am I really going to come live with you?"

Sensei held up her hands and laughed. "Whoa, buddy. I never said that. I'm going to see what I can figure out, okay? Just be patient."

She pulled into the driveway of a hospital and unbuckled Ulquiorra's seatbelt. They climbed out of the car and set off toward the hospital.

"Is it all right if I hold your hand?" Ulquiorra asked tentatively.

Sensei smiled. "Of course it is, Ulquiorra." She held out her hand, and Ulquiorra grasped it. Her hand was still soft and warm, just the same as it had been ten minutes ago. He liked that.

They walked inside. The receptionist looked up at Sensei. "Here to see Dr. Ishida?" she asked.

"No, I'm here for my husband," she said. "But will you send Ury - I mean, Dr. Ishida over to his office? Thank you."

They went past the receptionist and into a shiny metal box that Sensei said was called an elevator. When they got in, the doors closed and the box jerked around. Then the doors opened and a different room was in front of them.

"Was that magic?" Ulquiorra asked, stunned. Then he brightened. "Can we do it again?"

"When we come back, I promise we can do it again," Sensei said. "Right now we need to go. Alright?"

"Okay," Ulquiorra said reluctantly, not wanting to leave the magic box.

They headed down the hallway. Everything was very bright and very white. Ulquiorra was mesmerized. It was very different than what he was used to, and he immediately felt as though he didn't belong. A spot of dirt on a shiny new car. He shrank into his teacher's side.

Sensei stopped outside a door and knocked. Ulquiorra pretended to read the sign.

"Come in," someone called from inside the office. Sensei smiled and squeezed his hand.

"Ready?" she said, and opened the door.

Inside was a man sitting at a table. He spun his chair around and looked at Sensei. "Hey, honey - what are you doing here?"

"I brought someone to come see you," Sensei said, and the man looked at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra looked back.

The man was the same man Ulquiorra had seen at the park the other day. He had light orange hair (Sensei's favorite color) and his eyes were chocolate brown. He had an angular face and he was wearing a white collared button down shirt, which was partially unbuttoned.

He blinked. "Good Lord."

"Ichigo, this is Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra, this is Ichigo, my husband. He's a doctor here at the hospital."

"Have you ever been in the magic box?" Ulquiorra blurted.

Sensei laughed behind her hand. Mr. Ichigo looked confused. "The magic box?" he asked.

Sensei pointed. "The elevator. He means the elevator." She laughed some more. Ulquiorra didn't see what was so funny. "Have you?" he persisted.

Mr. Ichigo smiled. "Yep, sure have. I go in the elevator at least twice a day. Oh - here's Ishida."

He looked up as someone entered the office. Ulquiorra turned to see a tall, thin man with dark hair and wire-framed glasses come in. A tiny cross dangled from a chain around his wrist, and his eyes were serious. He was wearing a white lab coat.

"What do you want." It wasn't a question. Then the man's eyes fell on Ulquiorra. "What is this."

The second thing wasn't a question either. The man had a funny way of talking, saying the word 'what' like 'WHat'. And the rest of the sentence kind of trailed on after that. Ulquiorra wanted to try it out.

"WHat are you doing here," he said to the man. The man glared at him, then looked up at Ichigo, pushing his glasses up on his face.

"Is this boy imitating me, Kurosaki?"

"Take a good look at his face, Ishida," Mr. Ichigo said softly.

The man blinked. "Good Lord. Is that -?"

Sensei cut him off. "Ulquiorra, this is Mr. Uryû. Uryû, this is Ulquiorra. He's a student in my kindergarten class, along with his friends Grimmjow, Halibel, and Lilinette."

"Four of them?" Mr. Uryû spluttered.

"At least five - Coyote's in grade five." Sensei leaned forward. "If there's this many, the rest are bound to be around somewhere. It is essential that we find them before the Soul Society does. If they do, they'll probably -" She broke off, looking at Ulquiorra. "Well, you know what I mean. We can't let that happen!"

"And why is that?" Mr. Ichigo asked.

"Because!" Sensei said. "He's a sweet boy. He doesn't deserve to be -" She stopped herself again, taking hold of Ulquiorra's hand. "He's nothing like how he used to be, Ichigo. Remember how it was at the very end? He's just like that. I can't let him slip through my fingers again."

"The man I knew would never have asked me if I'd ever ridden in a magic box," Mr. Ichigo said idly, twiddling his thumbs while he peered down at Ulquiorra.

"He's five years old!" Sensei reminded her husband.

"Orihime's right," Mr. Uryû said quietly. "We can't let the Soul Society kill these kids in cold blood. I know it's been nearly ten years, Ichigo, but it's not -"

He broke off. Ulquiorra shrank into Sensei's skirt. _Kill him? In cold blood?_ He honestly didn't think too much of that idea. He tugged on Sensei's arm.

"What about the other thing?" he whispered. "Remember, Sensei?"

Sensei smiled down at him. "Oh, right! I almost forgot." She turned to Mr. Uryû. "Uryû, will you just take him outside for a moment? I need to discuss something with my husband."

"Sure," said Mr. Uryû, and he gently disengaged Ulquiorra from his teacher. Then he opened the door and went out of the office. Ulquiorra followed him.

Ulquiorra stood near the door so he could hear while Mr. Uryû went down the hall to discuss something with a nurse. He pressed his pale ear to the door and listened.

"-homeless," Sensei was saying.

"What are you suggesting?" Mr. Ichigo asked.

"Look. He needs somewhere to go. Whether it be with us or with Uryû or Tatsuki, but we can't let him stay out there alone. Especially because if we do, the Soul Society is bound to find them. I'm telling you, Ichigo -"

"Chad'll take 'im," Mr. Ichigo said.

"Sado will, yes. We could, too."

"Baby." Mr. Ichigo sounded weird. "What about the two kids we already have?"

"Sora would love him!" Sensei insisted. "Really. And Masaki's been asking for a brother for a while now."

Mr. Ichigo's chair creaked as he stood. "You know, we can make that happen pretty easily."

"Ichi, don't. Please, just don't."

"Hime, come on," Mr. Ichigo pleaded. "I can't even look at him without remembering what he did to us. My -" He struggled. "My other self - you know - he hates him! He's screaming at me right now. I can barely hear what you're saying! Please don't make me do this, Hime. I - I can't bear it!"

"Ichi, please. If I've ever asked for anything before now -"

Ulquiorra drew his ear away from the door. He'd heard enough. All that he _had_ heard was making him feel sick to his stomach. He turned over to the wall and slid down onto the floor, hugging his knees to his chest. He rested his head on his kneecaps, his green eyes boring a hole in the wall. He felt utterly despicable.

"Hello."

Ulquiorra glanced up. It was Mr. Uryû with a big tall man. The man was so big and tall that if he had reached up he could have touched the ceiling. With his elbow. Ulquiorra thought that when he stood up he might reach the man's knee.

"Hello," said Ulquiorra.

"You see what I mean?" Mr. Uryû said to the man. The man nodded. He was wearing a pink Hawaiian shirt. It looked very strange on him.

"I'm Chad," said the man. He bent double to shake Ulquiorra's hand. His hand was about the size of Ulquiorra's head. Then Ulquiorra held his own hand out, and Mr. Chad's hand enclosed his hand and halfway up to his elbow. His skin was very dark compared to Ulquiorra's, but everyone's skin was dark compared to Ulquiorra's.

Then Mr. Chad let go and straightened up. "You're very small," he said, his words slow.

"Everyone's small to you, Chad," Mr. Uryû pointed out. He came up to Mr. Chad's chest, so he had a point.

"What are they doing in there?" Mr. Chad asked, jerking his thumb at the door.

"Arguing." It was Ulquiorra who said this. Both of the men looked at him. Mr. Chad's brows furrowed. Mr. Uryû looked shocked.

"Let me get a better look," said Mr. Chad, and suddenly Ulquiorra was being lifted. Mr. Chad had his hands around Ulquiorra's waist, bringing the boy to his eye level. "Yep. He sure does look like 'im," Mr. Chad murmured. "Is he really…"

"That's the _question_," Mr. Uryû reminded Mr. Chad.

Ulquiorra had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

"What is going on here?" he asked.

Mr. Chad and Mr. Uryû glanced at each other. Mr. Uryû opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment the door opened. Sensei and her husband came out, looking like they had settled something. Mr. Ichigo's hand was around Sensei's.

"Well, Ulquiorra," said Sensei happily, "how would you like to come home with us tonight?"

**A/N: Heh heh…I imagine Uryû's adult voice to sound like Professor Snape from **_**Potter Puppet Pals…**_**I also imagine that I'm alone in imagining this T-T**

**Oh yeah- if anyone knows how to do a line breaker in Word?...drop me a line!**


	4. Boy Meets Family

**A/N: Okay, I'm back. I did ****not**** disappear off the face of the earth like everyone believed! ...I started school, which is worse. Actually, my birthday is on Friday, and I'm turning 14(finally)! Orihime's birthday is on Saturday, so I might publish a one shot for her… it'll probably be Ichihime, 'cause I live for Ichihime. –LOVE~!-**

**Anyway…WHOA! I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE: A DISCLAIMER! Disclaimed! See it there, on the screen? Yep, that one. That disclaimer. No, **_**that**_** one.**

Ulquiorra walked out of the hospital, clinging tightly to Sensei's hand. She was holding the hand of Mr. Ichigo on the other side, and a huge smile was spread across her face. Mr. Ichigo's expression was set in an intense scowl. Ulquiorra wondered if he had any other expressions besides the scowl.

Mr. Ichigo broke away from Sensei and said. "My car's over here. I'll go get the twins, and how about you go and start dinner?"

"Sure," said Sensei. "Here, take Ulquiorra with you."

Ulquiorra turned his emerald eyes on his teacher, alarmed. Mr. Ichigo's scowl set even deeper into his face. But one look at Sensei's expression had him reaching out for Ulquiorra's hand.

"Let's go, little guy," he said, and Ulquiorra reluctantly let go of Sensei's soft hand and took hold of Mr. Ichigo's calloused one. It enclosed his small fingers, contrasting his dark tan skin with Ulquiorra's paper white ones. The difference was even more shocking than it was with Sensei.

"Goodbye, Sensei," Ulquiorra said, waving at Sensei over his shoulder. She grinned and set off toward her car, while Mr. Ichigo tugged Ulquiorra after him. They approached a large truck, and Mr. Ichigo lifted Ulquiorra in (the seat was too high for him to reach) before climbing in himself. Ulquiorra fumbled with the seatbelt, trying to remember what Sensei had done, before he proudly pushed it in the slot. Mr. Ichigo took a glance at the twisted black material and unbuckled him, untwisting the belt and then re-buckling him.

"Thank you." Ulquiorra nodded respectfully at the orange-haired man.

"No problem." Mr. Ichigo poked the key on the hard surface around the key slot a couple times before he found the hole and slid the key in. He twisted the key and the engine _roared_, at least five times louder than Sensei's car. Ulquiorra leaped upwards, his heart pounding, his legs straining against the restraint. He took a shaky glance at Mr. Ichigo, who looked slightly amused.

"You okay, little guy?" Mr. Ichigo asked.

"Y-yes." His heart was still frantically trying to escape his ribcage. He took a deep breath. "Let's go."

Mr. Ichigo pulled a stick behind the wheel and pushed down his foot. The car went backwards, and Ulquiorra watched worriedly in the little mirror next to the door to make sure they didn't hit anything. They didn't, and after a moment, Mr. Ichigo pulled the stick again and they went forwards on their way.

Ulquiorra pressed his nose against the window again, brushing his overlong hair out of his eyes. The last time it had been cut was when he'd been lucky enough to find a pair of scissors and cut it because it was just too long to be practical. He wished he'd kept those scissors. They would be helpful.

"We're here," Mr. Ichigo said a few minutes later, as he pulled back into the school parking lot. Ulquiorra turned at looked at the man.

"You live here?"

"No! No, the twins are in pre-k here!" Mr. Ichigo corrected. "Probably in extended day by now. Let's go." He unbuckled Ulquiorra and climbed out of the car, helping Ulquiorra out as well. He held out his hand, and Ulquiorra took it, following a step behind Ichigo as he led him back to the building. They walked in, and Ulquiorra immediately relished the cool air conditioning.

Mr. Ichigo's blue scrubs swished around his legs as he walked down the hallway. Ulquiorra had to run to keep up. They stopped outside a doorway and stepped in.

There were quite a few kids in there, but only a few looked up. One was Lilinette, the girl from his class, who waved at him. One was her older stepbrother Starrk. One was a boy with bright pink hair which Ulquiorra couldn't tell if it was real or fake and white glasses. He was sitting with a boy with tan skin, a creepy smile and long black hair, a white hood over his head and his hair covering his left eye and forehead. He leered at Ulquiorra, who resisted the urge to hide behind Mr. Ichigo. Both boys were maybe in third grade. The boy with pink hair looked lazily up at Ulquiorra, his honey-colored eyes narrowing in amusement. Mr. Ichigo was looking for his kids and didn't see them.

"Hey, Nnoitra, look at that _shrimp_," the pink-haired one said, not bothering to lower his voice.

"Dude. 'Porro. D'you recognize him?" the creepy one said, nudging the pink-haired one. "He looks kinda familiar…" 'Porro said.

Mr. Ichigo's head snapped around, and he stared openmouthed at the two boys. They shrank back before him. He strode over to them, jerking Ulquiorra after him. Sticking a rough finger under Nnoitra's pointed chin, he said, "Who are you?"

"Who wants to know?" Nnoitra sneered, recovering his confidence. He jerked his head away from Mr. Ichigo's hand. Mr. Ichigo grabbed the collar of his jacket and yanked the boy to his feet, his chair toppling over behind him. 'Porro leaped up in alarm, his yellow eyes widening behind bone-white glasses.

"I said, who are you?" Mr. Ichigo growled into Nnoitra's face. Nnoitra's expression was one of absolute terror.

"NNOITRA GILGA! SZAYEL APORRO GRANZ! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" the teacher shouted, hurrying to them. Mr. Ichigo dropped the boy quickly, who fell in a heap on the floor.

"Daddy," said a little girl's voice, "what are you doing to that boy?"

Ulquiorra turned to see a little girl with light orange hair the same color as Ichigo's and dark brown eyes. Her mid back length hair was pinned back with strawberry clips, and her hands were on her tiny hips as she tilted her head questioningly at her father.

"Hello, Masaki," Mr. Ichigo said weakly.

"You better tell me, Daddy, or else I'll tell Mommy on you," Masaki said defiantly.

"Um, I was just…" Mr. Ichigo thought fast. "Where's your brother?"

"Oh, I'll show you." Masaki, glad to be in charge, completely forgot about her question. She walked a few steps, then looked back and said, "Are you coming, Daddy?"

"Oh – um, yeah, uh…" Mr. Ichigo looked down at Ulquiorra, who was still clinging to his hand. "Hey, little guy, you go with Masaki. Go get Sora while I sign them out, 'kay?" He released Ulquiorra's hand and went over to talk to the teacher. Ulquiorra reluctantly trudged over to Masaki, who looked to be about three or four. She stared suspiciously at him, but after a moment, she decided that she didn't want to lose her chance to be the boss. She whirled on her heel and gracefully walked away, fluttering her arms a little like a tiny ballerina.

"So-ra," she called, "Daddy's here." They approached a boy with longer, dark orange hair, cut unevenly around his chin. He was stacking blocks with an intense look on his face.

"Sora," Masaki said, tapping her foot theatrically. "Sora, Daddy's here. We have to go."

Sora looked up. His eyes were gray, like his mother's. "Can't," he said.

He looked for a moment like he wanted to say more, but didn't. Instead, he returned to his blocks. Masaki rolled her eyes dramatically, crossing her arms and turning to Ulquiorra. "Get him." She pointed to her brother. "Just because he's a little autistic doesn't mean you have to go easy on him."

Ulquiorra stared in dismay at the boy crouching below him. Sora placed another colored block precariously on the pile and waited for a moment to make sure it didn't fall. When it didn't, he mechanically picked up another block and added it.

"Sora! Masaki! Come on, you two. Mommy's waiting." Mr. Ichigo's voice drifted back. Masaki sighed impatiently and tapped her brother. Sora glanced up again, and his face registered the two of them standing there like he'd never seen them before.

"Daddy?" he said.

"Daddy's this way. Come on, Sora." Masaki grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him away from the blocks. Sora's foot accidentally hit the pile, and the blocks tumbled down. He stared in dismay at the blocks scattered on the floor but made no move to resist his twin.

Ulquiorra followed the siblings back to their father, who was glaring at Nnoitra and 'Porro. The former sneered back, while the latter adjusted his glasses. When he pushed them up, the tan skin was shown to be marred with the waterlogged, wrinkly skin that Ulquiorra had now seen four times, not counting on his own forehead.

It gave him the creeps just thinking about it.

Mr. Ichigo bent and scooped up his son, perching the boy on his scrub-covered hip. Sora wrapped his arms around his father's neck and buried his face in his loose white shirt. Masaki yanked open the door and stepped through, Mr. Ichigo propping it open for himself with his free hand and smiling down at Ulquiorra, who hesitantly ducked under Mr. Ichigo's arm and into the hallway.

"Bye bye, Ulquiorra," called Lilinette. She smiled and waved at the pale boy. Ulquiorra was startled into a wave back before the door closed.

They walked out to the car. Mr. Ichigo lifted his children to the backseat, strapping in Sora and checking over Masaki's handiwork. He pulled his head and shoulders from the backseat with difficulty and then smiled at Ulquiorra. His warm, solid hands closed around Ulquiorra's middle and lifted him up into the seat, buckling him in before walking around and getting in his own seat.

"I can buckle in myself," Masaki announced from the backseat, swinging her legs on the bench.

"Mmhmm." Mr. Ichigo smiled at Ulquiorra and attempted to stick in the key, stabbing the plastic again and again before quietly swearing and peering down beneath the wheel to find the slot, fitting the key in neatly. "You ready? The lion's about to gobble you up! Listen to him roar!"

He turned on the car, which came to life explosively. Masaki gave a delighted little shriek and giggled, bouncing up and down. "Again! Again! Again!"

"Next time," Mr. Ichigo promised, backing out of the parking lot. He carefully entered traffic, falling with ease into the familiar route to their house.

"Daddy, why did you come to my school today?" Masaki asked distantly, sounding distracted. Ulquiorra glanced back at her to see her staring at him. "Who's that, Daddy?"

"Mommy's friend," Mr. Ichigo said shortly. "Speaking of Mommy's friend…Crap. I forgot Yuzu was coming for dinner…"

"Aunt Yuzu's coming! Aunt Yuzu's coming!" Masaki shouted joyously in the backseat.

"Stupid Vizards…" Mr. Ichigo muttered, so quietly that Ulquiorra almost didn't catch what he said.

"Hm?" he asked.

Mr. Ichigo looked startled for a second. "Oh, um, nothing, ha-ha. Here we are." He pulled into a parking lot in front of a large brick building. Ulquiorra stared up at it in amazement.

"Whoa…you live in this whole thing?"

"No, it's an apartment building!" Mr. Ichigo laughed. "We live in one of the rooms inside. Let's go."

After getting various assorted children out of the car, they made their way to the Kurosaki's apartment building. Sora was once again being carried by his father, playing with Mr. Ichigo's shirt collar with an avid interest. Masaki ran ahead and disappeared inside the building, while Ulquiorra stayed just one step behind her father. They went inside to see Masaki chatting eagerly with the doorman, who was laughing and looked very happy.

"Hello, Kurosaki-san," he called, waving at Mr. Ichigo, who waved back. He called Masaki to him and together the four of them made their way to the elevator.

"Whoa!" Ulquiorra said, staring at the elevator. "You have a magic box _at your house?"_

Mr. Ichigo chuckled while Masaki reached up to press the button. "Yep, sure do," he said. "Ready to ride?"

They all got inside. Masaki pushed the 4 and the box started shaking around some more. The only difference was that inside _this_ magic box there was a mirror, and Ulquiorra could see his reflection in it. He looked very out of place standing with the Kurosaki's: they all had orange hair, pinkish skin, dark eyes – while his appearance was black and white, literally, with emerald orbs. Then they arrived at their destination and he shook off the image.

Their apartment was a few doors down. Masaki pushed open the heavy door and ran inside, shouting. There was an exclamation from Sensei. The smell of soup filled Ulquiorra's nostrils while Mr. Ichigo followed his daughter more slowly, closing the door behind Ulquiorra. He set Sora down, taking the small boy's hand and pulling both of them into the kitchen, where Sensei was putting a wooden spoon back inside a pot. Masaki had her finger in her mouth, sucking soup off her finger with wide eyes.

"Needs salt, Mommy," she said.

"You say that no matter what kind of food I make," Sensei chided her daughter. Mr. Ichigo sat Sora down on the counter, and he watched the proceedings with wide eyes. Then Mr. Ichigo wrapped his arms around his wife from behind and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Hey, Ichi," she said, not taking her eyes off the pot. Ulquiorra noticed that her grip on the handle of the spoon was tight. So did Mr. Ichigo.

"Hiiiiii-meeeee…" he whispered. Sensei giggled and pushed him off.

"Go away, Ichi. You know how much Kensei eats. I need to make sure we have enough food, because between you and him, we somehow never have any leftovers."

Mr. Ichigo pushed out his lower lip. "Fine, then. I'll just have to play with Masaki." He went over to his daughter and, shooting hurt glances over his shoulder, caught up the giggling girl and set her on his shoulders. "Your mommy doesn't want to play with me," he pouted. His fingers found Masaki's sides and probed, enjoying the thrilled squeals that emitted from her as she squirmed under his tickling fingers.

"Karin's coming as well." Sensei said, smiling. "Tôshirô's going to if he can get off."

"Why did both of my sisters have to marry supernatural beings that were so much older than them?" Mr. Ichigo moaned.

"Yuzu's not married yet, honey," Sensei argued playfully just as the doorbell rang. Mr. Ichigo trudged out of the kitchen, still balancing Masaki on his shoulders, and opened the door. An excited "Ichi-nii!" came from the door, as well as a gruff "Kurosaki!" and more squeals from Masaki. A few moments later, a petite woman with honey-colored hair pinned back from her face and a man with close-cropped silver hair entered the kitchen. The woman let loose a squeal of "Hime-chan!" and rushed to Sensei, nearly bowling her over in her haste. Sensei threw her arms around the younger woman with a cry of "Yuzu-chan! How _are_ you, my dear?"

"Hime – look!"

Miss Yuzu drew back and showed Sensei her hand. Sensei threw her hands to her face. "Oh, my goodness – congratulations!" she cried, and hugged Miss Yuzu again. Mr. Ichigo whipped his head around to look at the man, who grinned and gave a thumbs-up.

"Kensei –"

They were interrupted by the doorbell ringing again. Mr. Ichigo towed Masaki with him to go get it. There was a surprised "OOF!" and a "Da-ad, you bastard, he's got his kid!" and then another exclamation of anger. A woman with short black hair appeared, determinedly dragging Mr. Ichigo in, who was holding his face. Masaki was swinging her feet happily, laughing, cheering on the woman with cries of "Go, Aunt Karin! Go!" A man with short salt-and-pepper hair and a stubbly beard emerged next, cursing Mr. Ichigo and laughing.

"Ah, look! It's my grandson!" the man yelled, and swept Sora into a hug. Sora stared wide-eyed, not really reacting. "And my granddaughter!" He let go of Sora and swept Masaki off her father's shoulders, nearly ripping off Mr. Ichigo's head as he did so. A vein twitched above Mr. Ichigo's eye, but he didn't aim for his dad, afraid that he would hit his daughter.

Suddenly there was a face in Ulquiorra's. "Who is this?" Miss Yuzu asked, studying him. Sensei's face appeared near hers, also studying Ulquiorra's face. She had changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants and had let her hair down. She looked very different. "This is Ulquiorra, one of my students. He's staying here tonight."

Ulquiorra blinked at Miss Yuzu. She took a breath, gave a huge smile, and stuck out her hand, almost hitting Ulquiorra's nose with it. He went cross-eyed trying to see it.

"Hi! I'm Yuzu Kurosaki, Orihime's sister-in-law!" Miss Yuzu said cheerfully.

"What is 'sister-in-law'?" Ulquiorra asked breathlessly, still cross-eyed.

"Well, it means that I'm sisters with her husband!" Miss Yuzu said, "My brother is Ichigo!"

She pointed at the man in question and whapped Kensei's face with the back of her hand. Horrified, she whirled around to see him wince and massage his nose, his eyes twitching. "I'm sorry, Kenny!" she shrieked, throwing her arms around him.

"'S cool," he said good-naturedly. "Just warn me next time."

"Who is this, again?" asked the other woman, the one with the black hair. She crossed the room to stand next to Sensei. Mr. Kensei looked to see who she was talking about and became very still all of a sudden.

"That's not –?"

"Kensei! Shut up!" Mr. Ichigo barked. "He doesn't know, all right?"

"His name is Ulquiorra," Sensei was explaining to the woman. "He's a student in my class. Ulquiorra, this is Karin, Yuzu's twin sister. Ulquiorra's having dinner with us tonight! Isn't that lovely?"

"Sure is," agreed Miss Yuzu happily.

"Aw, this is such a happy scene!" the man who had come in with Ms. Karin yelled suddenly, and dove through the air toward them. Mr. Ichigo stuck out his hand, and his father landed face-first in his palm, crumpling in a heap on the floor.

"My bones…are getting too old for this…" he groaned.

"That's my dad, Isshin!" Miss Yuzu explained to Ulquiorra, who was feeling very overwhelmed. He turned his head slowly toward Miss Yuzu and Ms. Karin and Sensei, who were all grinning at him, to Mr. Isshin, who was groaning and being prodded by Masaki, to Mr. Ichigo, who was fighting a smile, to Mr. Kensei, who was looked like he was choking on something. There was silence for a moment.

"The soup!"

Sensei rushed over to the pot and checked it, breathing out a sigh of relief. Miss Yuzu got down bowls, doing a head count.

"Is Tôshirô coming?" Miss Yuzu asked Ms. Karin over her shoulder.

"Yeah, he's coming," she said. "He'll probably be here any moment now."

All the blood drained out of Mr. Ichigo's face.

"What?" Sensei asked him. Ulquiorra turned his emerald stare up to the man, fear making his heart pound. Sensei reached for his pale hand and squeezed it. "What is it, Ichi?"

"Hitsugaya can't come here," Mr. Ichigo muttered. "He'll kill Ulquiorra."

Just as he said that, the doorbell rang.

**! CLIFF! HANGER! **

**Tell me if the Yuzu/Kensei thing is too weird. I had Hanataro at first but he just didn't fit in the scene. I searched Yuzu and Kensei on FF.n and **_**nothing**_** came up. So it's original. I think it's a great pair. (Better than Yuzu/Shinji…**_**barf**_**) Plus, I wanted a Vizard…so…R&R?**


	5. Boy Meets Old Friends

**A/N: Okay I just want to say that I chopped off like ALL OF MY HAIR! (and I needed to tell SOMEONE even if you don't care…) It is GONE. I feel like 10 pounds lighter. :) Yeah Awesomeness.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own…**

Sensei rushed toward Ulquiorra and swept him up into her arms, sprinting to the bathroom. Ms. Karin made her way to the door, checking to make sure Sensei and Ulquiorra had vanished before answering it. Sensei opened the door to the bathroom and put Ulquiorra inside and kneeling down to his level.

"I'm so, so sorry," she murmured, grasping his arms. "I really am. But it's very important that you stay here, and when I come back in, I promise you can come out. Okay?"

Ulquiorra nodded, the words Hitsugaya can't come here. He'll kill Ulquiorra still running through his mind. He watched Sensei exit the small room quickly, and then looked around himself.

The bathroom was small and white. There was a wooden step stool in from of the sink, and all of the cabinets had child locks on them. The toilet seat was closed. Four toothbrushes hung in a neat row on hooks over the sink, and a jar of kid toothpaste stood next to a nearly empty adult one and a glass. Above the sink, out of Ulquiorra's reach, was a medicine cabinet, also adorned with a child lock even though it was much too high for Masaki to reach – or Sora, who both locks were probably there for. On the mirror was a sticker that said _Have a nice day, Daddy!_ In the bathtub was a rubber bathmat, and soap was in a tray. Way, way high up was another tray with more soap and a plastic T-shaped pink stick. Ulquiorra wondered briefly about that before he climbed into the bathtub and balanced himself on the lip.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror across the way. All of him - his too-long, shaggy hair that brushed his shoulders; his too-green, wide eyes that looked back solemnly, his too-pale skin that almost glowed in the pale room, the waterlogged patches on his forehead and cheekbone. You could just see the blank black nails of the bat wings on the back of his T-shirt from where they crept over his shoulders and spread across his back and then his stomach, but that was invisible. His too-light lower lip pushed out; his too-dark upper lip sucked in as he climbed back down carefully and grabbed the glass from the sink.

He dragged the bathmat in front of the toilet to the doorframe. Pressing the glass to the door, he stuck his ear against it and listened, resting his knees on the mat.

"—Vizards?" said an unfamiliar, low voice.

"Oh, they're good," said the voice of Mr. Kensei. "Shinji wanted to come tonight, but Love was cooking. He makes a wicked roast, so Shinji stayed for that."

"Can't imagine why he'd prefer eating with that lot instead of this one," Ms. Karin grumbled.

There was a silence in which all Ulquiorra could hear were the scraping of spoons and forks. Then someone cleared their throat and said, "So, how's everyone down on your end, Tôshirô?"

"Gaah," said the unfamiliar voice. "I got the strangest report in today. Some guy sent to the World of the Living said he saw an Espada!"

Someone choked loudly – sounded like Mr. Ichigo. The unfamiliar voice – Tôshirô, maybe? – seemed to ignore it, going on. "I think they were probably either drunk or just vying for attention. But still, it was weird. I mean, come on. An Espada? Seriously? That's not very creative. We wiped out the Espada ten years ago. Matsumoto just laughed it off, but I think she was a tad drunk as well. Still, I was –"

There was a buzzing sound, and the voice said, "I'm sorry, I have to take this." A chair was pushed out, scraping against the floor, and footsteps sounded coming towards the bathroom. They stopped just outside the door.

"Hello, Hitsugaya speaking."

There was a pause.

"What? EIGHT?" Hitsugaya sounded shocked. "You're kidding, right? No? Okay, this is bad…What? Just now? Another one…Huh? To the – WHAT? Okay. Okay. Four? You mean…Yes. Okay. I understand. Thank you, Head – "

The door swung open, and the man stopped in the middle of his sentence. Ulquiorra toppled over backwards in shock, the glass rolling away. He looked up at the short, silver-haired, teal-eyed man, who stood holding a cell phone-looking object forgotten by his ear. Just behind him stood Sora, looking in blankly at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra looked up in terror at the man.

"Sir?" Hitsugaya said, bringing the phone back to his ear. "Mission accomplished. I'll bring it straight in. Thank you."

He snapped the phone shut and lunged for Ulquiorra, grabbing his collar. He dragged the boy to the kitchen, holding him by the scruff.

"What. Is. This?" he snarled.

Sensei stood, her arms out in terror. "Hitsugaya-taicho – please, just listen - !"

Mr. Ichigo and Mr. Kensei stood as well. "The hell do you think you're doing, Hitsugaya?" Mr. Ichigo snarled. "That's my guest you're manhandling. Put him the hell down."

"I would if I could," Tôshirô said hardly. "But orders are orders. I have to bring him in." He glanced up, and on cue, a bunch of masked men shimmered into place in the room.

"Huh?" Miss Yuzu squeaked. "Wh – what's going on, Ichi-nii?"

"Who cares?" Mr. Ichigo snarled, and pressed a hand to his forehead in unison with Mr. Kensei. Both pulled their hand down to their chins, and in a flash of light, white masks appeared on their faces, Mr. Ichigo's with red stripes running from his forehead to his chin and Mr. Kensei's with strips cut into it all over the place.

"Grab the boy," Tôshirô barked, and at once, hands were all over Ulquiorra's body and he couldn't see anything. He heard an inhuman scream and several of the black-bodied men were thrown away, but more swarmed in. And then Ulquiorra was gone.

**!**

Ulquiorra opened his eyes.

He couldn't see much at first. It was really dark and cold in the room. But slowly, his eyes adjusted to the dark, and he could see silhouettes of people.

He sat up.

"You awake, Ulquiorra?" someone rasped.

"Grimm?" Ulquiorra said, surprised. "Where are we?"

Grimm sighed. "Who knows?"

"The kid's been screaming for the last hour, demanding to know," someone else drawled. "But I guess not even jerks can get their way."

"My ears still hurt," said a feminine voice. "I'm surprised you didn't wake up."

"Lilinette?"

"The one and only," said the voice. "Hallie's here, too. Say hi, Hallie."

There was a pause.

"Hi."

"Oh, you can talk?" Grimm said, sounding shocked.

There was another pause.

"Duh," said Hallie, her voice unusually low.

"Who all is here?" Ulquiorra asked.

"There's me, you, Hallie, Grimm, Coyote – my brother – and some guys named, like, 'Porro, Nnoitra, Aaroniero, Zommari, Barragan, Yammy…and that's it," Lilinette said. She sounded like she was counting off on her fingers.

"'Porro? Nnoitra?...I met them one time."

"You that white midget?" the same kid who had spoken earlier drawled.

"Sounds like 'im, Nnoitra."

"My dad beat them up," Ulquiorra added as an afterthought. His words startled him into silence. _My dad? Do I really consider Mr. Ichigo to be my dad? I never had one. So could he be?_

_And does that mean that Sensei is my mom?_

Nnoitra snarled, bringing the boy back to reality. "Yeah, 'course. The white midget's daddy beat up poor little Nnoitra and poor little 'Porro. NOT."

"You're so funny, Nnoitra," said another voice."

"Shut up, Yam."

"I told you, it's Yammy."

"What a _retarded_ name," 'Porro snickered.

"Yeah. That's them. And then we have the schizophrenic, Aaroniero." Lilinette muttered. "No, seriously, it's like he thinks he has two heads or something."

"You're a jerk, Lilinette," a voice called from across the room - Ulquiorra presumed it was Aaroniero.

"Then we have Zommari - he started, like, meditating a little while ago and we haven't heard a peep from 'im since."

Faintly, Ulquiorra could see the silhouette of spikes. He shuddered.

"There's also Barragan - boy's got the biggest head I've seen since... since, well, ever."

There was a rattling noise. "I demand to be let out!" a voice howled. "I demand it! Let me out!"

"That's him," Lilinette muttered. "He's been doing that for a while now."

A weird little whimpering noise started. Ulquiorra looked around but couldn't tell what it was, so he ignored it.

"'Porro, Nnoitra, Zommari, Aaroniero, and Yammy are all eight," Lilinette muttered. "Coyote's ten. I'm five. You're five, probably. So's Grimm and Hallie. There's eleven of us total."

"Great addition," Ulquiorra muttered back. "But where are we? Why are we here?"

"No idea."

It was Grimm this time. The boy crawled over to Ulquiorra and sat next to him, pressing their arms together. It was cold and Ulquiorra shivered, but Grimm was wearing his white panther jacket and didn't seem bothered by the cool air.

"I was watching TV," he said, "and my cook was making me dinner, and then all of a sudden there were all these ninjas in my room. They were just there. I don't know how they got past security, but they were there. They grabbed me up and took me away. And now I'm here."

Ulquiorra nodded, deciding to keep his own strange kidnapping to himself. The rest of them would think he was crazy if he said anything about how Mr. Kensei and Mr. Ichigo pulled out masks from the air and tossed the ninjas aside like they were nothing.

"Yeah," Lilinette said. "I was just about to wake Coyote up for dinner when they were all of a sudden all those people and they brought us here but Coyote still hasn't woken up. He's been freaking sleeping this whole freaking time."

"They knocked me out," Ulquiorra said.

"That sucks," Grimm said.

The whimpering was getting louder. So were the boys across the cell. They were yelling at each other now, so loudly that Ulquiorra hear a little snort, and then Starrk's voice saying "Everyone shut up!"

Everyone quieted, except for whoever was whimpering. Starrk raised his voice a bit and said, "I said, everyone shut up!"

The whimpering did not stop.

"Guys, who is making that freaking noise?" Starrk yelled.

Everyone shook their heads.

"Search," said Starrk.

Ulquiorra hauled himself up, feeling around in the corners, and where the wall met the floor. He heard the others bumping into each other and yelling, trading a few punches, before Starrk brought them back in line. But Ulquiorra didn't make a sound.

The whimpering sound was getting even louder. It was right in Ulquiorra's ear before his hand hit something soft.

"Oops, sorry," he said, yanking his hand away. But no one apologized in retaliation, so he stretched his hand out again and touched the soft thing. He ran his hands over it. It was sitting in a corner, so he couldn't see a silhouette at all.

He felt a face, and soft, shaggy hair.

The whimpering stopped, and a little voice said, "Daddy?"

Ulquiorra recognized the voice and gave a low moan of despair. Then he looked up and said, "Found it!"

"What was it?" Starrk barked.

"It's my new brother!" Ulquiorra said, trying to keep the tremor from his voice. "Sora Kurosaki."

**A/N: Yeah it's short but I need to go to church. And by the way, is it like a thing here in the Bleachdom that you alert/favorite stories but don't review them? Because that's seriously annoying! Personally, I try to review every single fic I read. And if I don't read it, I don't put it on alert! If it's good enough to go on my favorites, I definitely review. So keep that in mind. It's just rude not to. **

**Kthxbye :)**


	6. Boy Meets Haters

**A/N: I'm going on an update spree! I have 5 days off for vacation, and since I have 5 stories, I'm going to try to update each one…Just don't laugh at me when it fails…**

**Disclaimer: Bleach is too awesome to have come from my puny little brain…**

There was an awkward little silence where the only noise was Sora's whimpering.

"Okay, well, can you please make him shut up?" Starrk snapped. "I would _really_ like to get back to sleep."

"I can try," Ulquiorra said. "But he's autistic. A little bit."

"Looks like more than a little bit to me," 'Porro muttered.

"Oh, is that why he didn't say anything earlier?" Starrk said. There were the sound of footsteps approaching, and then a larger person – probably Starrk – kneeled down next to Ulquiorra. "Let me see 'im."

Ulquiorra panicked, trying to decide whether or not to hand over Sora. Starrk sat, waiting, and Ulquiorra opened his mouth to say – what? But at that moment, they heard rapidly approaching footsteps. Starrk shot to his feet and ran over to where Ulquiorra could dimly see the bars of their cell.

"Who's there?" he shouted.

Suddenly a lamp or something was lit and the cell was flooded with light. Ulquiorra's eyes burned and he squeezed them shut, pressing his fingertips into his lids, his tear ducts prickling.

"These are just _kids!" _someone's voice said.

Ulquiorra opened his eyes a tiny slit. There were a bunch of people all standing in front of the cell of the door – eleven, he realized after a thorough counting. Each had a white band wrapped around his or her arm, and each was dressed in a loose black jumpsuit that could be easily mistaken for a dress.

The one in front, with a ruby red ponytail that Ulquiorra thought looked strangely like the top of a pineapple, hefted his lantern higher. His eyebrows (he had the oddest eyebrows Ulquiorra had ever seen, crisscrossing all over his forehead) were raised. "C'mon, Lieutenant Sasakibe," he said. "You can't expect us to –"

"I'm sorry, but I do," said a tall, thin, stiff-looking man with white hair and a pencil-thin mustache. "We need to –"

"Aww!" someone squealed, and a little pink-haired girl he hadn't seen before leaped to the front. She pressed her face to the bars. "I remember you!"

Her finger pointed at Nnoitra, who drew back, surprised.

"Lieutenant Kusajishi, please get back," a tall man with oval sunglasses said to the little girl. "They could be dangerous."

"Aww, but Tetsy…" The girl – Lieutenant Kusajishi – drew back from the bars. Ulquiorra and the others huddled against the far wall, eyes wide and terrified. _Who are these people_? Ulquiorra wondered. He put his arm around Sora, who had stopped whimpering, and drew the boy closer.

"Who's that one?" said a woman with her hair pulled back and books tucked under her arm. She adjusted her glasses and stepped forward. "I don't recall seeing that one in the records – do you, Matsumoto?"

"Oh, I don't know," a woman with light orange hair and a bust at least the size of Sensei's responded carelessly. She glanced over at the bunch and then looked again, her eyes widening.

"Renji!" she said.

"H-huh?" the red-haired man with the weird eyebrows – actually, they were probably tattoos – said.

"It's Sora! Sora Kurosaki! You know, Ichigo and Orihime's little boy?"

Renji's eyes widened. He swallowed visibly. "H-huh?" he said again. "No…that's not possible…"

"Oh, crap. We got to get him out of there. Those Espada might kill him."

"Ichigo's going to have my head!" Renji moaned.

"Everybody stop!" someone called.

All the people stopped talking. The only sound was the children's frightened breathing and the sound of one of the people chewing loudly – a fat man with a purple collar and a receding hairline, clutching a bag of some sort of snack. Ulquiorra's eyes fixated on it – he was so hungry…

"Captain!" the woman called Matsumoto called, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

A small little man stepped forward, and Ulquiorra's heart jumped. It was Hitsugaya from dinner – except now he, too, had on a black suit, adorned with a long white robe. A stick was strapped to his back, and his white hair was wrapped in a bandage.

"What happened, sir?" a man with drooping eyes and blond hair called.

"Kurosaki's Hollowfication, as well as Kensei Muguruma," Hitsugaya said grimly. "We got cornered bringing in number four. We managed to overwhelm the two of them with sheer numbers, plus the fact that neither had their zanpaku-tôs with them… Well, I'm lucky I got away with just this. Now, on to the matter of the Kurosaki boy…"

"…your nephew…" Matsumoto muttered, and a bunch of the people gasped.

"Captain! He's your family! You must get him -!"

Hitsugaya closed his eyes. "Okay, I understand you now, Kuchiki…" He opened his eyes, and they locked onto Sora.

"While it's true that I did not intend for the Secret Remote Squad (under the supervision of Captain Soi Fon, I may add) to capture Sora Kurosaki, it's true that we can use this to our advantage. I know full well that Kurosaki-san can easily storm Seireitei as he did years ago, since he was victorious then (in a rather roundabout way) and his powers have nearly doubled since then. Still, we can hold this boy ransom…if we hold a virtual sword to his neck, Kurosaki would never dare to come to get these monsters. We can release the boy back to his family after we deal with the Espada."

There was a shocked silence.

"I'm sorry, sir, but that's just-" Renji protested.

"Sir, I must protest," said a man with spiky hair and black bands around his neck and biceps. "That is not the way this operation runs. We're not catching dogs, here – these are people we're talking about." He waved his hand at the cell.

Hitsugaya regarded him coldly. "These are not people, Lieutenant Hisagi… They're monsters."

Ulquiorra's heart was beating so loudly he was sure everyone else could hear it. He glanced to the side to see Hallie hunched into her jacket, her blond lashes aiming down. Grimm was standing with his eyes wide and scared and his hands fisted in his jacket pockets. His knees were trembling. Lilinette had slipped her hand into her stepbrother's and was trembling into his side, her face wet with tears. He was watching the people with narrowed eyes, looking fierce but obviously shaking.

"Shiro!" said a woman with a sweet-looking face and a turquoise cover encasing her bun. "How can you say that? _These are children you're talking about!_"

"Be quiet, Hinamori!" Hitsugaya snapped, and the woman flinched, shocked. Her eyes began to fill with tears, and she turned away.

"Come here," Hitsugaya ordered, pointing at Starrk. "You're number one, correct?"

"Um…I'm the oldest, if that's what you mean…" Starrk said, his voice shaking.

The woman with the books stepped forward. She closed her eyes and turned her head away like if she couldn't see what was happening it meant it wasn't happening. "Him and the green-haired girl are both number one, sir, as I'm sure you remember."

"Hm?" the little pink haired girl said, confused. "What's going on, Nana?"

"Come here, please, Yachiru," the woman said. When the girl complied, the woman pressed her into her chest so that she couldn't see.

"Come here, both of you, please," Hitsugaya ordered. When Starrk and Lilinette didn't obey him, he stepped forward, eyes flashing, and pressed himself against the bars. "Do it _now!" _he yelled, and Starrk was startled into movement, Lilinette jerked along after him. She let out a tiny wail.

"Give me your arms," Hitsugaya commanded, and they stuck their arms through the bars, their backs facing outwards. Ulquiorra could see their faces – Starrk's eyes were wide and scared, and Lilinette's face was soaked with her own tears. Hitsugaya reached into his coat, and Lilinette flinched and ducked her head, her entire body shaking so hard Ulquiorra was sure she would fall.

Hitsugaya pulled his hand out of his coat. In it were two pairs of metal handcuffs. He cuffed their hands together behind their backs and dismissed them from the gate.

"Who's number two?" he barked. Nobody moved; Ulquiorra glanced down the line at his comrades, seeing them all looking around as well, confused as to what he could be talking about.

"Captain! Sir!" cried Lieutenant Hisagi. "This is inhumane, sir! It's obvious that they don't remember. Leave them alone!"

Hitsugaya whirled around. "Remember your place, Hisagi, or you _may lose it," _he growled, and Hisagi's eyes widened.

"Are you suggesting something, sir?" he growled.

Hitsugaya whirled back around. "Lieutenant Ise! Which of these is number two?" he barked, and the woman with the books tightened her hold on Yachiru and squeezed her eyes closed tighter.

"Number two is Barragan," she said.

"Which of you is Barragan?" Hitsugaya barked. A boy at the end with tan skin, a large nose, and fluffy back hair stepped forward. He had a ring of wrinkled skin across his hairline, the patch basically glowing in the dim light.

He turned to face Hitsugaya. "I'll get you for this," he spat in Hitsugaya's face. "You'll pay for defying me. I swear it."

"What do you swear on?" Hitsugaya sneered. "Aizen's left toe? Come on. You're a pathetic excuse for an Espada. I am a Shinigami. And not only a Shinigami – a captain of the Gotei 13. You could never hope to defeat me, you rat. Turn around."

Barragan spat at Hitsugaya's feet and turned around. Hitsugaya slammed the cuffs on his wrists with as much force as he could muster and shoved the boy away from the bars.

"Next!" he barked. "Who's number three?"

"You fought her personally, sir – it's Tia Halibel."

Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed. Hallie's eyes opened and locked with his. Her blond eyebrows pushed together as she tried to figure out what was going on.

"Yes, the shark girl," he said. "Never thought I'd see you again. Come here, girl."

Hallie shuffled forward, burrowing her face deeper into her upturned collar. When he reached him, she lifted up her hands, fastened them on her collar, and pulled it down.

Most of the lieutenants gasped, and Lieutenant Ise pressed Yachiru's face harder into her suit. But Hitsugaya's eyes just narrowed.

"Your little tricks don't impress me, Tia," he said. "I saw it when the mask was there."

There was a pause.

"If you…think we are…monsters," said Hallie, in her deep voice, "it is you…who is the monster, _sir_."

She pulled up her collar and turned around, pushing her arms through a slot. Hitsugaya snapped cuff on her almost with relish.

"It was a pleasure killing you, my dear," he told her. Her eyes widened fractionally, and then went back to normal.

"I'm sure," she said, "you must…be crazy. I am…still alive, am I not?"

She returned to her place on the wall.

"Lieutenant Ise! Number four, please."

"Ulquiorra Schiffer," Ise called.

The chamber got suddenly quiet. Yachiru pulled her head free and said, "Oh, yeah, he's the one Ichi killed, right?" She gave a big smile. "I remember. He was the one who captured Ichi's wife and brought her to Hueco Mundo and then Ichi went and killed him! I remember because me and Kenny had to go there! And we saw him right after he killed that one! He told us all about it later, and Kenny was so upset because he missed out on a good fight. He was all like, "Darn, that Ichigo Kurosaki killed that dumb Espada Ulquiorra before I even got a chance to get there." He was so mad! I remember. But he got to fight a different Espada, I mean, I think it was number five 'cos he had a 5 tattooed on his tongue, so I guess –"

"Yachiru!" Renji barked. "Please, be quiet."

Ulquiorra felt as if his life had tipped upside down. He was dazed.

_Mr. Ichigo…killed me?_

_When? Where were we?_

_Why? What did I do?_

_What did I do?_

**!**

A little while later their hands had all been cuffed. With the limbs rendered useless, the lieutenants called Sasakibe and Kurotsuchi had slipped in with a handful of red collars. Their faces remained expressionless as they clipped collars around the necks of each individual. Ulquiorra's was clipped on by the woman, Nemu Kurotsuchi, whose eyes looked almost as if there was no one behind them. Her facial expression did not change as she reached behind Ulquiorra, pushing his long hair aside as she deftly clipped on the collar. As soon as her hands left his neck, he raised his own hands to feel the collar, wondering why this was happening. He pulled it away from his windpipe as far as he could manage, holding it off of his skin.

Four red tubes were then attached to the collar. Looking around at the others, he saw that each of them also had the leash-like things coming off of their own collars. Hitsugaya snapped his fingers and more of those ninja guys who had kidnapped them shimmered into being, one ninja taking a single cord. The room was suddenly a lot more crowded with forty-four more people in it.

"March!" Hitsugaya commanded, and the ninjas bearing Starrk and Lilinette pushed through the crowd and disappeared. Sasakibe and Kurotsuchi flanked them, not emitting a noise. Barragan followed with his own guards. His posture suggested that they were bodyguards or subjects instead of prison guards. The fat man flanked him, still stuffing his face, making Ulquiorra even hungrier. Hallie followed them with the blond, droopy man, and then it was Ulquiorra's turn.

The guards pulled sharply on the cords, and Ulquiorra was jerked forward. He nearly tripped over his own feet, slipping inside too-big shoes, and the guards yanked him back into standing position. A hand on his arm prevented him from falling again and breaking his neck on the collar, and he looked up into the face of a grey-haired, grey-eyed woman with a worried-looking face and a gentle smile.

"Steady there, cuarto," she said, and he felt reassured. He didn't go so far as to smile, but he nodded to her.

"Lieutenant Kotetsu! What are you doing?" Hitsugaya called. The woman – Kotetsu – snatched her hand away from Ulquiorra's arm.

"Nothing, sir," she called, and smiled at Ulquiorra again. The guards began walking again, and Kotetsu followed briskly behind.

The procession slowly filed out of the room, Hitsugaya shimmering to the front of the line with the little girl Yachiru bouncing along at the end. Matsumoto brought up the rear, her angry gaze fixed on the short captain.

Ulquiorra heard Nnoitra demand his assigned lieutenant Hinamori to tell him where they were going. Hinamori explained that they were going to see the Head Captain to see what he thought about them. But when Nnoitra asked what exactly it was that they had done, Hinamori remained silent.

They emerged into the sunlight, and Ulquiorra brought a hand up to his eyes, blinking. They seemed to be in a city of some sort, with small white buildings everywhere, each adorned with a brown shingled roof. The ground was made out of some kind of tile, and it was spotless – like really, really clean. The area was deserted.

"_Taicho!"_ whined the man who was eating up at the front of the line. "Why can't we just use flash step to get to the first squad barracks? This is so slow!"

"Ōmaeda!" Hitsugaya commanded. "Use your brain. The Espada cannot use flash step. Unless you're volunteering to carry your assigned Espada, we cannot."

"You may not carry me!" Barragan's voice floated back. "I forbid it! I do not permit it!"

"He seems like a handful," Kotetsu murmured. "I almost feel sorry for Captain Soi Fon – well, I would if I didn't know she could handle him."

She looked down at Ulquiorra. "I'm Isane Kotetsu, lieutenant of Squad 4 under Captain Unohana. We're the medical squad, so I don't know why I got called here to help today. Usually we stay out of it – in Hueco Mundo we weren't even assigned to an Espada –"

She cut herself off, looking nervous. Ulquiorra was a little confused, but he decided to set it aside. They walked the rest of the way in silence, Ulquiorra watching the two blonds in front of him.

Finally they reached a building and went inside. After walking for about five minutes inside it, Hitsugaya stopped at a large door. He raised one fist and knocked.

After a moment, he opened the door and led the group inside. The kids lined up in this odd order that the lieutenants and Hitsugaya had organized them in, each with four guards and a lieutenant. Hitsugaya stood in front of them. On Ulquiorra's right was an angry-looking Nnoitra, to his left was Hallie with her eyes downcast.

"Head Captain!" Hitsugaya said, addressing the old man in front of him. "We have here the eleven children convicted of being Espada. What do you judge?"  
>"They are children?" The Soutaicho seemed surprised. "From the reports, it sounded as though they were older."<p>

"No, sir," Hitsugaya confirmed. "These are them."

"At least number nine looks mostly humanoid," someone muttered. Ulquiorra peered down the line to try to see who number nine was but he couldn't see.

"Silence!" the head captain commanded. "The Espada will visit Central 46 in the morning. For tonight, each squad will be assigned an Espada. Squad 1 and Squad 4 are exempt, so the first Espada will be assigned to Squad 13. The other first Espada will be assigned to Squad 12. All shall proceed in order from there – except that the fourth Espada shall be assigned to Squad 10 and the tenth Espada shall be assigned to squad 11. Dismissed."

Isane smiled at Ulquiorra. "See you around, cuarto," she said, and shimmered away. Matsumoto bounded up to him.

"Hello…Ulquiorra, am I right?" she squealed. "Oh, my goodness, aren't you a cutie. Well, I get to have you all to myself." She pinched his cheek and wiggled his head back and forth. When she let him go, he rubbed the sore spot, the collar chafing his neck.

"Matsumoto!" someone called. Ulquiorra looked up to see Hitsugaya striding over. "Let's go," he said, his eyes flashing. "And bring the prisoner. Guards!"

Hitsugaya turned on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving Ulquiorra to be dragged out by the flamboyant Matsumoto and the emotionless guards, a sinking feeling in his chest.

**Okay, I'm gonna post this without going over it so I hope you're happy ~**

**R&R? **


	7. Boy Meets Bath

**A/N: Yes, you people with Story/Author alert did read that correctly. This chapter _is_ that many words long. I AM sorry this took so long. It took a lot of planning. Also, just a few notes about this chapter: I was up on Google Images looking up Aaroniero to try and describe him better, and I saw a hilarious (quote Ray: It was _hilAAArious!) _picture someone had drawn of him with his hand out and a speech bubble saying: "Join my Fanclub Or Else I will eat your soul D:" I laughed. Also, halfway through writing this (at Halibel, actually) my spacebar broke!1!1! I now have to press SO HARD to make a space! poo. So if there're any mistakes with spacing, please forgive me (npi), as the majority was written with a broken spacebar.**

**Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to the awesome Tite Kubo and Viz Media. _Harry Potter_ and all its characters and property belong to J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. for reasons you will see. I also do not own _The Nightmare Before Christmas._**

* * *

><p>"Wait!"<p>

Everyone in the room stopped and looked back at the head captain. Standing in front of him was a ninja guard, and on his hip was Sora. Ulquiorra looked uncertainly at his lieutenant, the orange-haired Matsumoto, and saw that her brows were set angrily, and one hand was inching toward her sword, almost like a reflex.

"Who is this?" the old man demanded, gesturing to Sora, who was playing with the headpiece of the guard who was holding him. The poor man was restraining himself from swatting the boy with admirable self control.

"Excuse me, sir!" said the redheaded man, Renji, saluting. His free hand was clamped on Grimm's shoulder, depressing the fabric. Ulquiorra snuck a glance at his blue-haired friend. He was struggling to look bored. "That is the first and only son of the substitute soul reaper, Kurosaki Ichigo, and his wife Kurosaki Orihime!"

"Why was he brought here?" the soutaicho thundered. When no one answered, he continued, "Answer me at once! He is not an Espada. Send him home immediately!"

"Sir!" said Hitsugaya, pushing past Matsumoto, causing her to stumble. She had to grab Ulquiorra's shoulder to steady herself, making him slip inside his large shoes again. She yanked him up by his collar, and he managed to regain his balance. Hitsugaya strode up to the captain, nodding respectfully to him before going closer and whispering in his ear. As Hitsugaya talked, the captain's brows furrowed, and for a moment, everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath. When Hitsugaya finished talking, the head captain's expression cleared and he nodded.

"Approved," he said. "In that case, Sasakibe, please take him to squad 13 with the assigned Espada. And please remind him again to get a lieutenant. Dismissed!"

* * *

><p>PRIMERA ESPADA<p>

_-Coyote Starrk-_

"What?" Lilinette cried. "You're leaving me, Starrk?"

"Yes, he is," said the blank eyed woman – Kurotsuchi or whatever her name was. She gripped Lilinette's arm painfully. "Please, stop your crying. Lord Mayuri will not like it."

She squeezed Lilinette's arm and dragged her away.

Coyote watched his half sister bawl helplessly. He felt horrible; sick and nauseated and mad. He glanced angrily at the white haired lieutenant, Sasakibe, who was standing next to him.

"So where are you taking me?" he asked shortly.

Instead of answering, Sasakibe snapped his fingers, and the guards – the Secret Remote Squad, the short captain had called them – nodded. One of them scooped up Coyote and, before he could so much as blink, carried him away so quickly that he had no time to react. He couldn't even see. They were going so fast that he felt as though his face might peel off. Wind was roaring in his ears and his eyes were watering. Colors blurred around them and it seemed to him that they were going even faster than the speed of light.

After about thirty seconds, they blurred to a stop. Coyote's eyes were streaming. He blinked furiously and rubbed them, shaking his head to let the hair fall back into place. He'd read Harry Potter, but that right there seemed even more unpleasant than Apparation.

Sasakibe knocked. "We're here with the packages, sir," he called. Coyote looked around at the plural form of _package_ and saw the Secret Remote Squad member in charge of Sora Kurosaki shimmer into place with the distant boy on his hip.

The door opened, and a tired but friendly looking man with long white hair and a long white robe appeared. He yawned and then smiled down at Coyote.

"I hope we can be friends now that we're not trying to kill each other," he said.

Confused, Coyote chose to remain silent.

It was then that the white-haired man saw Sora. His eyes narrowed. "That's not an Espada," he said. "Why are you bringing me a human child?"

"Not entirely human, sir," Sasakibe corrected. "This is the son of Kurosaki Ichigo and Kurosaki Orihime, Kurosaki Sora."

The white haired man frowned. "Kurosaki Sora? What in the world is he doing here? Shouldn't he be at home?"

"He was brought to the Soul Society by accident, but the head captain has ordered him to remain here. Kurosaki Ichigo has been warned that if he attempts to rescue the Espada, his son will be killed without hesitation. Head Captain Yamamoto has ordered me to leave him with you."

The man blinked and then sighed. "Give him here," he said, holding out his arms. Sora was passed into his embrace, and the man settled him on his hip. "Please escort the primera inside, and then you may leave."

A tug on his collar reminded Coyote to walk. He stumbled inside, and once the guards were assured that he would not try to escape, they shimmered from view, disappearing with Sasakibe.

The man yawned and put down the redheaded boy, falling backwards onto the couch. "So, primera," he said. "Do you still go by Coyote Starrk?"

Coyote nodded uncertainly. "What do you mean, do I _still_ go by Coyote Starrk? You make it sound like we've met before."

The man visibly swallowed and looked like he was restraining himself. "I shouldn't," he muttered. "Central 46 will explain it in the morning." To Coyote he said, "Well, anyway, I'm Captain Ukitake of squad 13. You are Coyote Starrk, the primera Espada. This is Sora Kurosaki, son of the substitute. Is it true he's autistic?"

They both looked at the boy on the floor, who was still sitting where Ukitake set him down, staring into space. "That's what the pale kid said," Coyote said, "the one with the black hair and green eyes."

Captain Ukitake frowned. "Black hair and green eyes? Could that be the cuarta?"

Coyote looked blankly at him.

Ukitake sighed. "Well, whatever. Are you hungry, primera?"

Coyote nodded fervently. It didn't even occur to him that Captain Ukitake might try to poison him. In fact, if the captain hadn't clearly said that he had been trying to kill someone earlier, Coyote might have believed that the man couldn't hurt a fly.

"Alright, Kiyone and Sentaro," Ukitake said to the room at large. "I know you two are in here somewhere. You can come on out now."

From behind the couch, two people popped up: a man with fluffy black hair, tan skin and a goatee, and a woman with short brown hair and big eyes who came up to his shoulder.

"Excuse us, sir!" the woman shouted. "We were not eavesdropping, sir. We were just keeping guard over you to assure that the Es-"

She stopped, and the silence that followed was awkward. Sora, on the ground, had found a small ball somewhere and was turning it over and over in his hands.

"That will do, Kiyone," Ukitake said gravely. "Sentaro, will you please go fetch me Miss Kuchiki? She may be in the squad six barracks with the captain or the lieutenant, if she is not at the Kuchiki Manor. Thank you."

"Right away, sir!" the man barked, and shimmered away.

Ukitake turned to Coyote. "I'm sorry, I forgot. Are you hungry, primera? We can get you some food."

Coyote nodded again. He watched wide-eyed as the captain got up and walked over to a little table, picked up a cell phone-like object and dialed before he put the phone to his ear. "Hello? Yes, this is Captain Ukitake. Can you bring…?"

As he spoke, Coyote looked around the room. The walls were tan and covered with bookshelves. A desk was parked in one corner, and a little lounge area was in the center of the room, with two facing couches (one of which he was sitting on) and a coffee table. On the table was a photograph of a man with spiky black hair and smiling dark eyes. Coyote peered closer at it. In one corner was written the words:

KAIEN SHIBA  
><em>In Loving Memory<em>

So, it was a dead guy. Coyote sat back with a sigh; he had been hoping that it would be something more interesting.

Just as Ukitake set down his phone, Sentaro reappeared. Only this time, he had a flustered-looking female Soul Reaper with him, with wide indigo eyes and black hair that she was patting down anxiously. She straightened her robe nervously.

Sentaro bowed repeatedly to her. "Please, forgive me, Miss Kuchiki!" he exclaimed. "I did not mean to-"

"I understand," said Miss Kuchiki, letting her arms fall. "I'll let you apologize to Renji later. Anyway, you wanted to see me, Captain Ukitake?"

"Yes," said Ukitake, visibly relaxing. "I believe you know how to care for the boy Sora Kurosaki?"

"Huh?" said Miss Kuchiki, frowning. Her gaze fell on the auburn-haired boy, still playing with his ball in the corner. _"Sora?_ Ichigo and Orihime's boy? What is _he_ doing here?"

"Look, Rukia, it's complicated," Ukitake said. "From what I heard, he's being held here as an incentive to Ichigo Kurosaki to not come and save the Espada children – if he does attempt it, his son will be instantly killed." He sighed. "I don't agree with it, but the head captain Yamamoto has ordered it. Anyway, I've never had to care for an autistic child before – what exactly do I need to do?"

Rukia sighed. "Give him here," she said, holding out her arms. Sentaro started and leapt into action, and in a moment Sora was settled comfortably in Miss Rukia's grasp.

Miss Rukia began to bustle around the room with the small boy, Ukitake following after her intently. She quickly fixed a small snack for the boy and settled him into a chair, placing the food in front of him.

"You can't force him to eat," she said softly. "If he's hungry, he'll figure it out. If he's not, he'll most likely just end up playing with his fork or something." She looked up at the sound of a knock at the door. Glancing at Ukitake, she called, "Come in!"

On the other side of the door was a man in a soft white uniform with a cart. He wheeled it in and set a plate at the table with all the utensils and then stood at attention.

"Dinner for the primera," he said, bowing, and left.

"Ooh, what is it?" Coyote asked eagerly, momentarily forgetting his place in his hunger. He scrambled up and hurried to the table, peering at the food. He inhaled deeply.

"Aah…"

He sat quickly and dug in while the adults talked in low voices on the couch. A few minutes later someone else knocked on the door again, and Ukitake got up to answer it. Someone was standing on the other side of the door that Coyote couldn't see, but they apparently didn't seem to make Ukitake very happy. They gave Ukitake a package and left right away.

"Who was that?" Miss Kuchiki asked.

"Akon from squad 12," said Ukitake. "He says that the primera has been asked – well, ordered – to wear this." He held up the package and shook it. A white garment fell out. Miss Kuchiki picked it up and frowned, angry.

"Is he _trying _to make them remember?" she exclaimed.

Ukitake looked pale. "If he is, he's certainly going about it correctly," he said.

"What's going on?" Coyote asked, food temporarily forgotten. He stood and went over to them, wiping crumbs from his mouth. "Who's going about it correctly?"

Ukitake looked a little awkward. "Er…Look, Starrk-chan, you wouldn't mind putting this on, would you?" He held up the white thing.

"What'll happen to my real clothes?" Coyote asked, smoothing his hoodie.

"I'll hold on to them for you," he said, but his expression showed pity. "As soon as you're done, I promise you can return to your dinner."

Coyote sighed. "Where's a bathroom?"

He recognized that he was a prisoner here, he thought as he began to put on the white thing. It would probably be best if he just cooperated. He slid on a loose pair of pants, adding a jacket over it. The jacket reached down to his ankles on one side, and stopped mid thigh on the other side. He tied it with a black obi and smoothed the collar, lifting his hair to let it settle. He then pulled on a pair of white gloves and slipped on black socks and added white sandals, wiggling his toes. It fit pretty well. Perfectly, actually.

He opened the door, went down the hall and returned to his dinner. Then he realized something. He'd always worn high-collared shirts as a kid to try and hide the scars. But this shirt fell open in the front, revealing the disfigured semicircle around his neck and the perfectly round birthmark just under it. Cringing, he glanced at the captain and Miss Rukia, who were watching him with concerned gazes. He winced and attempted to continue eating, but his throat was suddenly dry.

"Starrk-chan, can you come here please?"

Slowly, Starrk slid off of his chair, his palms sweating through the gloves. He stalled as much as he could, but he eventually made it to the two. There was only so much you could do with about ten feet.

"What's this?" Ukitake said curiously, reaching out to smooth the waterlogged skin at the base of his neck.

"It's, um –"

Coyote was saved having to answer by the door bursting open. A man with three tiny horns in his head and a white lab coat was standing there, looking slightly winded.

"Akon! What is it?" Ukitake asked.

"It's the lab," Akon said. "Mayuri-sama's Espada. The small, green-haired girl. She's being – she's being – oh, my God, I think he's going to kill her."

"What?" Ukitake said, leaping up. "Small, green-haired – that's Lilinette, isn't it? Oh, goodness – Rukia, stay here and watch the boys, please. I need to go."

"Ukitake-san! Please, let me go too!" Coyote burst out suddenly.

Everyone turned and stared at the brown-haired boy.

"She's my sister," Coyote said urgently. "It might help her calm down."

"Okay, fine, but we should go _now_," Ukitake said. Coyote nodded, and Ukitake scooped up the small boy with shaking arms.

"Let's go," he said, and shimmered from view.

Once again, Coyote felt his face peeling back; his eyeballs drying, his hair streaming, his ears roaring; he held his breath and felt like he would be sick if it lasted a moment longer. Just when he felt like he would have to roll out of Ukitake's arms or die, Ukitake blurred to a stop.

Coyote rolled from the man's arms and lay coughing on the pavement. Ukitake let out a few coughs himself, doubled over, but then straightened and gave Coyote a hand up.

"Let's go," he said, and ran toward the building they had landed next to. Coyote looked up at it – it looked like a giant warehouse, with the numeral for 12 over it. He shuddered as the doors opened for Ukitake, and then ran after him.

As soon as the door closed, they were plunged into darkness. Coyote could barely see the captain's silhouette. But what he could hear were screams. _Lilinette's screams._

"That's Lilinette!" he yelled, and pushed on an extra burst of speed. Ignoring Ukitake's cries of, "Wait, primera!" he dashed to the door the sounds were coming from and threw it open.

The scene before him had him frozen in terror. Lilinette was wearing a white uniform similar to his (but with a lot less fabric), and she was leaning hard on a table, panting. She had a metal hat-like contraption on her head, which had colorful wires trailing from it, the ends flying loose and sparking occasionally. On the other end of the table was the scariest man Coyote had ever seen in his life. He had a painted face, a colorful headpiece, paper white skin like Ulquiorra Schiffer, and a long white robe. He lunged for Lilinette, who shrank back in terror.

"Come back here!" he shouted in a voice like nails on a chalkboard. "We are in the middle of an important experiment!"

He lunged for Lilinette again, snatching at her. She let out a small scream and dove under the table just as the man fell on his face on the table.

"Captain Kurotsuchi!"

It was Captain Ukitake. He was standing just behind Coyote, his dark brows drawn in anger. "What in the world are you doing?" he demanded of the other man.

"What does it look like?" Kurotsuchi snarled. "I am trying to finish an important experiment with Lilinette Gingerbuck!"

Coyote ran forward and pushed past Kurotsuchi, diving under the table after his half sister. He gathered the shaking girl up in his arms, whispering to her. Pulling the helmet off of her head, he smoothed her hair and tried to listen.

"She's just a girl!" Ukitake protested.

"She's an Espada!" Kurotsuchi roared. "She is not human! I demand you leave me and my laboratory in peace, you meddling old man!"

"Allow me to take the Espada girl with me," Ukitake said, fighting to control his voice.

"No!"

Coyote heard a _chink_ sound and looked up at Ukitake to see his with his hand on the handle of his sword. The blade had been pushed up about an inch, and the blade gleamed dangerously in the light.

"Let me take the Espada girl." Ukitake's voice allowed no argument. "I will not hesitate to destroy your precious laboratory."

"I'd like to see you try," sneered Kurotsuchi, but the fight was gone from his voice. Without warning, he turned back to his computer. "Fine. Get out of my sight."

"Come with me!" Ukitake called, and Coyote scrambled up with Lilinette. He transferred her so that she was riding him piggyback and ran out of the door after Ukitake.

They emerged into the daylight – well, it was getting close to night now. Coyote let go of Lilinette so that she could stand on her own. He looked closely at her now – she was wearing a jacket that wrapped around and barely covered her chest, very short shorts (actually more like underwear), long fingerless gloves that came up to her forearm, long boots that covered most of the way up her thighs.

"We need to get you some real clothes," he said.

"No." Ukitake sounded tired. "This costume is correct. Lilinette, I'm sorry, but you'll have to continue wearing it for now. We should get back – Rukia will worry. Sentaro?"

On cue, Sentaro appeared.

"Help me, please," Ukitake requested, and Sentaro lifted Coyote into the air. Ukitake gathered up Lilinette in his frail arms.

"Let's go."

"Yes, Captain Ukitake, sir," Sentaro barked, and the world faded to pure speed, colors blending and the air rushing by so fast Coyote felt as though his organs were being ripped out…

They stopped suddenly, and Coyote just about fell from Sentaro's arms in exhaustion. He looked around. They were back in the barracks.

"Captain Ukitake!" Miss Rukia's voice sounded strained. "You got Lilinette okay?"

"Yes, she's fine." Ukitake sounded tired. "Where's Sora?"

"Asleep. I think these two should go down as well."

Coyote wholeheartedly agreed. He loved to sleep. Sentaro carried him to a bed, followed by Ukitake. Lilinette was laid in a twin bed next to him, and Ukitake sat on her bed while Sentaro turned off the lights, chuckling about something that sounded like "God, he really loves kids, doesn't he?" under his breath.

"Mr. Ukitake?" Lilinette asked sleepily.

"Yes?" Ukitake smoothed her hair.

"What's going on?"

Ukitake stood. "I can't tell you right now. In the morning, you'll go to see Central 46. They'll decide what will happen to you."

"But what did we do?"

There was a long pause. Then Ukitake said, "Goodnight," and closed the door firmly.

* * *

><p>PRIMERA ESPADA<p>

_-Lilinette Gingerbuck-_

"What?" Lilinette cried. "You're leaving me, Starrk?"

"Yes, he is," said the blank eyed woman – Kurotsuchi or whatever her name was. She gripped Lilinette's arm painfully. "Please, stop your crying. Lord Mayuri will not like it."

She squeezed Lilinette's arm and dragged her away.

Lilinette couldn't help it: She bawled. She sobbed. She wailed. But the woman's hand on her arm never wavered in its strength on Lilinette's arm.

Lilinette prided herself on being strong-willed. In her opinion, she was emotionally stronger than maybe even her brother Starrk. But right now, she couldn't stop crying. It was like she had been holding in emotion this whole time and now suddenly it was being released.

She was pulled out of the door, and suddenly, the woman stopped.

"Lord Mayuri," she said, bowing.

Lilinette's red-eyed gaze came into contact with the white hem of what she now recognized as a captain's robe, traveling upwards to see a sword with a spiky hilt secured in the middle of the wielder's waist. Long sleeves ended in white hands with one long navy nail, and then an Egyptian-like headpiece. The face of this person was painted navy and white; his teeth were gold, and he had no hair that she could see, except for the blue fabric coming off of his head. His golden eyes were locked on her, and his mouth was stretched into a creepy grin. She felt a ball of dread drop into her stomach, and her crying stopped abruptly.

"This is so _interesting,_" the man said in a nasally voice. He brought up his hands and wiggled his fingers. "This is perhaps the most _fascinating_ thing I have ever had the fortune to study! I would have liked to have been assigned to that Szayelaporro Granz, but you will have to do for now." He leered at her, and Lilinette couldn't help but shrink back in horror.

"Nemu!" he barked. "I can't stand these unsightly World of the Living clothes. How do you think it will take you to make eleven costumes for the Espada?"

Lieutenant Kurotsuchi paused for exactly one and one-third of a second. "It will take me approximately twenty-two minutes," she murmured emotionlessly.

"Get to it, then, you worthless girl," he ordered, and she nodded before disappearing from view.

"I suppose we must go the slow way," he said to himself. His very voice made Lilinette feel some sort of primal instinct to run. He beckoned impatiently to the guards, his one long blue nail waving in the air. The guards startled and rushed after him as he whirled on his heel and strode away.

Lilinette had a dog at home. He was a Beagle from America and his name was Sôsuke. Sôsuke loved to go for walks, but he hated his collar. Her family had bought him a harness that he used instead of a collar and he wouldn't go on walks with anything else. Lilinette hadn't been able to understand why Sôsuke didn't like to use a collar – all of her friends' dogs were fine with it. Now she understood: being dragged along by the neck was extremely unpleasant and not something she wanted to do on a daily basis.

They left the squad one barracks and entered the sunlight. Lilinette blinked at the visual assault, but she wasn't allowed to take time to recover. The guards dragged her on, forcing her to break into a trot.

About ten minutes later, they had reached another building, this one with the numeral for 12 written on it. As Lilinette gazed up at the windowless warehouse-like building, she felt her heart sink even lower. She wondered where Starrk was; was his captain better than the creepy Mayuri-sama? Or was he worse? Lilinette tried to imagine someone worse than the robotic man and found that she couldn't.

The doors opened as Mayuri-sama approached, operated by two stiff-looking guards. The whole troop marched inside and the doors swung shut behind them with a _bang_.

The building was dark. Dark and cold. Lilinette thought it looked a little like one of those prison shows her mother liked to watch. She could see the faint outline of Mayuri-sama as he whooshed along the hall. The guards beside her marched in rhythm, each foot falling with a _stomp-stomp-stomp,_ all four at once. The noise was so great that she couldn't hear her own footsteps tripping along between them.

Suddenly, Mayuri-sama stopped. Lilinette stopped as well, her body trembling. Mayuri-sama pulled a giant ring of keys from his large white robe and jangled them a few times for Lilinette's pleasure before selecting one and pushing it into the keyhole. He unlocked the door and it swung open to reveal a dark room lit by the harsh glow of computers. In the corner was a small bench which Mayuri-sama gestured to.

"Sit over there," he commanded. The guards dragged Lilinette over and pushed her down.

"This is just while I get the test ready," Mayuri-sama said. "Akon! Worthless man. Is the costume finished yet?"

"Yes, sir!" said a man, appearing in the room with a white bundle. One of the guards took it, and the man disappeared. The guard handed the bundle to Mayuri-sama, who tossed it at Lilinette.

"Take her to go put this on," he said. The guards stood at attention as one, but he waved them all down. "Just one is perfectly fine, fools," he said. One of the guards started and snapped his fingers, and all the red tubes fell from her neck. He then put his hand on the small of her back and led her out of the room, her legs feeling like they were made of Jell-O.

He directed her to a different room, pointed for her to go in, said, "Change," and closed the door behind him.

Wildly, Lilinette looked for a way out. The walls were made of stone, and there wasn't a single window. Nothing except the door, which the guard was, well, guarding.

She sighed and began to pull off her shirt, digging through the pile of clothes. What could possibly be the shirt? She held up something long and thin and discarded it. Nope, not it. Man, there sure wasn't a whole lot of fabric here. Finally she located the shirt – but was it really a shirt? No, couldn't be. It seemed like more of half of a jacket. She put it on with the opening in the back, but it felt extremely weird, so she turned it around so that the opening was in the front. It felt surprisingly secure, even though it looked like it would fall off at any second. She then found her underwear and put that on, but she couldn't find any pants. Once she found socks, however, and put them on, she realized that maybe she was just supposed to wear the underwear like tiny shorts with thigh socks. She picked up the gloves and put them on, and then looked down at herself.

"Cute," she mumbled. There was only one problem – it showed off the horrible circular birthmark centered on her stomach. She shrugged. Oh well. Then she knocked on the door, and it was opened by the guard. He didn't look twice at her getup, just led her back to the room with the horrible Mayuri-sama.

"Goody, she's back," said the creepy man. "Just in time. Please, have a seat, Miss Gingerbuck." He led her to a seat in front of a computer. It was covered in a blue cushion, and she sank gratefully into it.

Then, without warning, she felt a hard surface slam into her head. A loud beeping noise filled her consciousness and she saw every memory of her life flashing before her eyes. The beeping got faster and the thing on her head – it seemed to be a hat – started to get hot. She couldn't move – couldn't speak – she wasn't coherent.

But there was one thing she didn't need coherency to do.

Scream.

So that's what she did. She opened her mouth and _screamed_. She screamed and screamed. The noise seemed to wake her up, and she pulled herself away from the computer, hearing ripping noises as wires were yanked from their sockets. She screamed and ran away from Mayuri-sama, towards the doors – locked, of course. She banged them, until finally, out of breath, she turned and faced Mayuri-sama.

Something hot hit her arm. She looked down to see tons of colorful wires trailing from her head. One had sparked and brushed her bare skin. Feeling upward, she realized that all the wires were connected to the helmet, which appeared to be metal.

Turning her attention to Mayuri-sama, she felt terror drop in her stomach. The man looked angry – no, furious. His brow was low over his unnatural golden eyes, and his mouth was downturned in a dangerous-looking grimace.

"You dare?" he growled. "You _dare?_ Get back here, Espada!"

He ran for her. She screamed again and dashed to the other side of the room, hiding behind a computer bank. He growled and stomped after her, so she ran towards a table and leaned against it, panting hard. The door opened, but she didn't dare take her eyes off of the captain. He lunged for her, and she pressed away from him.

"Come back here!" Mayuri-sama yelled. "We are in the middle of an important experiment!"

He lunged again, his one long blue nail almost scratching her skin. She yelped and shrank back from it, diving under the table as Mayuri-sama fell on his face.

"Captain Kurotsuchi!"

Lilinette didn't look up to see who it was. She was shaking under the table, her good eye closed tightly, her fists curled into balls. She sniffled and prayed. _Please, please, please…bring Starrk to me, please…_

"What in the world are you doing?" the voice continued angrily. It sounded old, with a hint of an accent she didn't recognize. _Please, Starrk, come to me…_

"What does it look like?" Mayuri-sama sneered. "I am trying to finish an important experiment with Lilinette Gingerbuck!"

She heard footsteps. Someone pushed past Kurotsuchi and climbed under the table. _It was Starrk_. He gathered her up in his arms and pulled the helmet off of her head, smoothing her hair where sweat from the heat of it mussed her hair.

"I'm here," he murmured. "It's okay, Lily."

She settled into his embrace and allowed herself to breathe freely for once, safe in her brother's arms.

"She's just a girl!" protested the voice.

"She's an Espada!" Mayuri-sama roared. "She is not human! I demand you leave me and my laboratory in peace, you meddling old man!"

"Allow me to take the Espada girl with me," demanded the voice.

"No!"

"Let me take the Espada girl." The voice allowed no argument. "I will not hesitate to destroy your precious laboratory."

"I'd like to see you try," sneered Mayuri-sama, but the fight was gone from his voice. Without warning, he turned back to his computer. "Fine. Get out of my sight."

"Come with me!" the voice called, and Starrk scrambled up with Lilinette. He transferred her so that she was riding him piggyback and ran out of the door.

Lilinette rested her head on her beloved brother's shoulder. She wrapped her arms snugly around his neck and closed her eyes.

A moment later, she felt the cool air on her sweaty skin. She opened her eyes. They were outside, and the sky was growing dark. Her brother set her gently on the ground, and she held his shoulder to steady herself. He looked her up and down.

"We need to get you some real clothes," he said.

"No."

Surprised, Lilinette looked up. There was a man standing with them – the owner of the voice, she suspected. He had long white hair, dark eyebrows, and a kind but frail looking face. "This costume is correct. Lilinette, I'm sorry, but you'll have to continue wearing it for now. We should get back – Rukia will worry. Sentaro?"

A man flashed into view with tan skin and black hair. He stood at attention and saluted.

"Help me, please," the white-haired man requested, and Sentaro lifted Starrk into the air. The man gathered up Lilinette in his frail arms.

"Let's go."

"Yes, Captain Ukitake, sir," Sentaro barked, and the world faded to pure speed, colors blending and the air rushing by so fast Lilinette felt as though her organs were being ripped out…

They stopped suddenly, and Lilinette just about fell from Ukitake's arms in exhaustion. She looked around. They were in a cozy room with tan walls, a nice desk, and bookshelves lining the area. A woman with black hair was waiting anxiously for them, and when they appeared, she jumped to her feet.

"Captain Ukitake!" The woman's voice sounded strained. "You got Lilinette okay?"

"Yes, she's fine." Ukitake sounded tired. "Where's Sora?"

"Asleep. I think these two should go down as well."

Lilinette was too tired to argue. She didn't like sleeping but maybe this time she'd make an exception. Sentaro carried Starrk down the hall to a bed, followed by Ukitake. Lilinette was laid in a twin bed next to Starrk, and Ukitake sat on her bed while Sentaro turned off the lights, chuckling about something that sounded like "God, he really loves kids, doesn't he?" under his breath.

"Mr. Ukitake?" Lilinette asked sleepily.

"Yes?" Ukitake smoothed her hair. His hand was warm, but tough and calloused.

"What's going on?"

Ukitake's hand hesitated on her brow, but then it left and he stood. "I can't tell you right now. In the morning, you'll go to see Central 46. They'll decide what will happen to you."

"But what did we do?"

There was a long pause. Then Ukitake said, "Goodnight," and closed the door firmly.

* * *

><p>SEGUNDA ESPADA<p>

_-Barragan Luisenbarn-_

Barragan was furious.

He'd been kidnapped from his home, thrown into an inhumane cell with a bunch of sniveling wretches, plus a retard, and then been assigned to a fat oaf of a lieutenant who wouldn't stop stuffing his face with food and refused to give Barragan any even when he commanded it. The guards had left a while ago.

"Ômaeda! !"

Barragan and his lieutenant turned at the sound of the voice. A small woman with short black hair, two long white braids, and a yellow belt was standing a little away from them, her eyes narrowed and her hand on her hip was standing there looking at them.

"Y-yes, Captain Soi Fon?" Ômaeda choked nervously.

Captain Soi Fon strode over to them. "Is this our Espada?" she asked.

"Y-yes, Captain. He is the -"

"Segunda Espada, Barragan Luisenbarn - do I look like an incompetent to you? I remember fighting him, fool. He was much older then, but yes, I remember." She studied the boy, who narrowed his eyes at her.

"Let's go," she said abruptly. "I need to oversee the training. Ômaeda! Leave the boy with me. Go do some paperwork."

"A-are you sure, Captain?" Ômaeda said nervously. "He _is_ an Espada, after all – and a powerful one, too –"

"Are you suggesting that I cannot handle an eight year old human boy?" the captain said, looking dangerously at over her shoulder at him.

"N –no! Not at all! I was just –"

"Good. Come with me, boy," she ordered, and, grinding his teeth, he had no choice but to follow.

They swept outside the barracks building. The sun was still bright, but it was getting close to sunset. Barragan's stomach rumbled unpleasantly, but Captain Soi Fon didn't even look around. They walked for a few minutes before they came to another building and walked inside. There was a balcony there that they were heading towards.

"I think you may enjoy this," she said, as they swept onto the balcony. Barragan peered over the edge and gasped. Hundreds of men and women were down below, all clothed in black and doing training to the beat of a drum held by another man in black. As Barragan watched, they all folded to the side and cart wheeled over all simultaneously. He couldn't help but gasp a little.

"Wow…"

Captain Soi Fon smirked.

"This is the fifth division of the Secret Remote Squad," she said. "All under my command."

"How many divisions are there?" Barragan asked, curiosity getting the better of him. He leaned on the rails and watched the figures below do a sweeping kick all as one and then leap immediately into the air.

"Twelve," she said. "And I command all twelve as the captain of squad 2, seeing as Ms. Yoruichi left without naming a successor." She sighed and leaned on her hands, her almond-shaped eyes watching the figures below.

Barragan tried to imagine the glory of commanding all of those subordinates. Imagine the things he could do if he had that vast amount of troops in his power! He closed his eyes and tried to imagine it while a slow smile spread across his face. It seemed too wonderful to comprehend. He imagined the powerful but snitchy Captain Soi Fon on her knees in front of him, begging him to do this or that. Her fat lieutenant, Ômaeda, could go back to wherever he came from. He would use this army of Secret Remote Squad members to crush…hmm, what would he crush first? The Soul Society, which was the reason he was here in the first place? No, that was too easy. He could crush his school building – his house – his family – _anything. _Anything and everything. He'd crush it all…

"Let's go," Captain Soi Fon said, interrupting his thoughts. She swirled on her heel and pranced away like some kind of horse. Barragan sneered at her back and followed her.

She kept a fast pace. Barragan really had to work to keep up with her. At one point a man with a triangle-shaped hat shimmered into view and gave her a package, which she accepted without stopping. She marched on and on, Barragan being forced to break into a trot to keep up with her.

Finally they reached a building. The doors swung open, operated by two guards who jumped to attention the second that they saw Captain Soi Fon. She swept inside, Barragan rushing after her. Stalking down the hall after the captain, Barragan was amazed at how many of the Secret Remote Squad members he saw – and how each and every one jumped to attention and either saluted or bowed to Captain Soi Fon. Jealousy burned within him. _He_ wanted an army as grand as this one! _He_ wanted troops like these with unswerving loyalty towards him, their commander. _He_ wanted the power to swoop in like a giant bird of prey, each man like a feather on the wings, and crush everything in his powerful beak. He wanted to rule over everyone and everything, like Captain Soi Fon was now.

She stopped with a sweep of her orange and yellow robe outside of a door and thrust it open. She then stood back while Barragan strode in haughtily. He turned to face the woman when he got inside, his eyes narrowing. She narrowed her eyes right back, and Barragan seethed.

"Put this on, Espada," she ordered, throwing the package at him. "I'll be back for you later. Maybe I'll bring food." Smirking, she closed the door before he could utter one word of complaint. He heard the lock being turned.

"Wait!" he yelled. "Come back, Soi Fon! I demand you return! Let me out! Let me out!" He howled and threw himself at the door, banging the hard surface with his fists. "Let me out! Let me out!" he shouted. "I demand it! Release me immediately!"

He shouted himself hoarse. Finally, realizing that no aid was forthcoming, he slumped to the ground, dejected. That cursed woman! How dare she do this to him, Barragan Luisenbarn? He ground his teeth and clenched his fists, growling in the back of his throat. He leaned his head back and knocked several times on the door with his skull, furious.

How dare she? How _dare_ she? He wanted to crush her under his heels. He wanted to rip her fancy hair from her head. He wanted to wipe that smug look from her disgusting face and replace it with fear for him – respect for him – worship for him. He wanted…he wanted…

Bored, he looked up and saw the package. He rose with as much dignity as he could muster and flounced over to it. Ripping it open with thick fingers, he saw a white and black uniform fall to the ground. He picked it up and ran it through his hands.

It was kind of magnificent. A long coat with rings of black fur, loose white pants, sandals, and golden bracelets completed the ensemble. It looked royal. It looked dignified. It looked like something that he would wear. He slowly put it on, adjusting the various pieces. Running his fingers over the black fur, he imagined happily that whoever had made this beautiful costume had ripped the hair from Captain Soi Fon's head and sewn it on. Human hair – how fitting for a costume he was to wear.

Outfitted in his wonderful getup, he realized how hungry he was. He knocked on the door and demanded for food, throwing in something about being let out. Nothing was forthcoming. Angry, he yelled louder, but again he was ignored. Unused to this, he hesitated before spitting on the floor and storming over to the corner to sit with his arms wrapped around his knees. He closed his eyes.

Instead of sitting on a cold stone floor, he was now sitting on a throne of bones. Around him it was night; a crescent moon hung in the inky sky. Before him, a mass – an army – of monsters was assembled. He lifted his hand and saw that it was made of bones; on his head – his _skull_ – rested a heavy golden crown. He looked down at himself – he was clothed in a purple robe with a fluffy black collar. Above him was a golden bell, cracked and chipped; he pulled on a rope in his skeleton hand and the bell tolled, the sound echoing over the sand world stretched before him…

He awoke in a cold sweat. The window far above him showed that it was late night. Voices could be heard outside the door.

"He's been silent for a while."

"Where should we put him to sleep? I don't think we have any beds here."

"Yeah, I noticed that all the troops sleep on the floor. Jeez, Soi Fon, what do you think this is? Sparta?"

"N-no, Ms. Yoruichi!"

"Well, hurry up and open the door."

The lock turned. The door opened. Raising his head from his knees, Barragan squinted at the sudden onslaught of light. Framed in the doorway were Captain Soi Fon and…a cat? He wondered who the other voice had come from.

"Holy cow, he's just a kid," said the cat.

Barragan gave a little yelp of surprise.

"Yes, he is – they're all under the age of ten," said Captain Soi Fon. "Should we take him to Ukitake's? I'm sure he'll have room for one more, and he just loves kids."

Barragan was too weary to say anything. He closed his eyes again, but stayed awake this time.

"He doesn't seem anything like his old self," the cat commented.

"You should have seen him earlier," Soi Fon muttered. "He was out of control."

Footsteps crossed the room, and Soi Fon's small but strong arms lifted him into the air. "We'll take him to Ukitake's," she said, right before he fell asleep again.

He heard a jumble of voices in his semi-conscious – a surprised old one, exasperated young ones, and many more. Someone laid him on a soft bed, and then he fell deeply into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>TERCERA ESPADA<p>

_-Tia Halibel-_

It happened so fast, Hallie barely registered the movement. One second she was standing in the room with all the black-robed people. The next second she was gone, moving through space so fast she couldn't even see her nose in front of her face.

It was terrifying, but she didn't scream. Screaming just wasn't something she did. However, her eyes bugged in fear and she struggled, trying to stop, slow down maybe to the speed of light, _something_. Her efforts were not in vain - in a moment the sensation stopped, and she took in a gasping breath, looking around her and noticing for the first time that she was horizontal instead of vertical as usual. She looked down - it was a long way to the floor, so she looked up instead.

She was met with half of the face of Izuru Kira, the third lieutenant. His blond bangs covered one of his eyes, the tip of his bangs so sharp it appeared to be about to pierce right through her. His hair was slicked back at the nape of his neck and looked like it was in two pigtails despite the lack of hairties. His teal-blue eyes looked down at her in an expression that was a cross between disgust and pity (the expression he had been wearing when he had first arrived at her cell and had kept on ever since).

"Tia Halibel," he said, "the tercera Espada. Sole female. Succeeder of Neliel Tu Oderschvank. I know everything about who you used to be. But I don't know anything about who you are now."

He sighed and set her down on her feet. She stumbled, trying to find her balance, grabbing his shirt sleeve when she almost lost her footing. He looked at her hand on his sleeve, his expression never changing.

"The old Halibel would have never have relied on help from anyone except her Fracción. And I'm definitely not Sun-Sun, Mila Rose, or Apache."

He sighed again, pulling a list from his robe. "Who was assigned to Hisagi?...Oh, Aaroniero Arruruerie. Let me call him up and see what the deal is." He pulled what looked like a cell phone from his robes, pressed a few buttons, and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Hisagi." Pause. "What a welcome. Can you swing by? I'm at the barracks." Another pause. "I don't need every detail. I know who killed him. I'm asking if you can leave him for a second. Yes, I have Halibel. No need to go through her statistics. Yeah, do that. See you."

He snapped his phone shut. "Soul pagers - so much more efficient than the Hell butterfly," he said. "That conversation would have taken about an hour otherwise. Okay, let's go in."

His face still hadn't changed, but his abrupt mood swing confused Hallie. Was this his attempt at being friendly? If it was, he was failing. Miserably. She tugged her collar up farther over her face and followed the man inside the building.

He led her inside to an office-looking room where he gestured for her to have a seat. She did so uneasily, not sure of what his intention was. However, he simply sat down at a desk across from her and pulled a huge stack of papers towards himself, taking out a brush and pad and beginning to write without explaining what he was doing at all.

Bored, Hallie looked around. The office was boring. There were some bookshelves with boring adult books. Closer study revealed a photograph of two men standing together – one was Lieutenant Kira, looking depressed as usual, and one was a man with spiky black hair who she thought was named Lieutenant Hisagi with his arm around Kira, grinning broadly. It was framed in a silver frame with words engraved around it. Hallie struggled to read what it said. _To the best drinking buddy ever – Shûhei. _Whatever that meant.

She thought with a shiver about the weird prophecy – like title she'd been given: _tercera._ When she'd first heard it, she'd been shocked. How had they known? She didn't think anyone had known about the strange mark on her chest, just to the right of center. It looked like the number 3. She knew it wasn't normal, but it was probably the least abnormal thing about her. Wasn't it better than the horrible scarring that covered the entire bottom half of her face? Her mother had always bought her jackets with high collars in order to hide herself. She'd thought it was a disgrace. Hallie's mother was originally from Mexico, and she was very religious – certain that the whiteness, the blond hair over Hallie's dark skin, her unnaturally low voice were signs of the devil. She never mentioned the mark on Hallie's chest. When Hallie had pointed out that the 3 could also symbolize the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, her mother had looked at her with a blank stare. That's when she'd realized that most people couldn't see the number.

Until now. When the short white-haired captain had addressed her as the tercera, she'd instantly understood – her mother was Mexican. Hallie had grown up bilingual. She knew that _tercera_ meant "the third." The third _what?_ Why the third? Was it because of this strange mark on her chest? And how had they known?

The door to the office slid open, interrupting Hallie's thoughts. She turned around and saw the forms of Lieutenant Hisagi and his kid – Aaroniero Arruruerie, maybe? She wasn't sure. He was weird-looking, for sure. Real short. He was little older than her – eight, she thought Lilinette had said. He looked like he was six or seven. His head was a little too small for his body, and his skin was as pale as that Ulquiorra kid. He was completely bald and his eyes were sunken and lined with purple bruise-like shadows. A strange mark crept up over his chin and partially covered his lip – the number 9? No. Impossible.

"'Sup, Izuru?" grinned Lieutenant Hisagi. Then he saw what his friend was doing and frowned. "Really? _Really?_ You're doing paperwork with this cutie-pie sitting right here in front of you? Gosh, you must be bored, sweet thing! Which one are you?"

Mr. Kira looked up with a bored expression. "We just discussed this not thirty minutes ago. How did you possibly forget?"

"Oh, right! Tia Halibel. Tercera Espada, executed by Sôsuke Aizen, sole female of the Espada."

"If you don't count Lilinette Gingerbuck."

"I…I do! Wait. I do? No, that doesn't make sense. If Lilinette was a Fracción, then why would she have come back? Hmm…that's a really good –"

"Okay, we get it, Shûhei. Stop analyzing the poor girls. It's kind of creepy."

"Ooh, Shûhei, not being too weird, are we?" a flirtatious voice called.

Both men looked up with wide eyes. A redheaded woman was standing in the doorway with blue eyes and a wide smile. One finger was hooked in the red collar of Ulquiorra.

"Oh, hi, Rangiku!" Shûhei said happily. "What're you doing here?"

She tossed her hair with a smirk. "Well, I was waiting for you at your office, Shûhei," she said in a slightly drawled voice. "I needed to discuss…something…with you."

Mr. Shûhei's eyes widened, and he clapped a hand to his nose. When nothing happened, he drew his hand away from his face, looking relieved. Mr. Kira rolled his eyes.

Ms. Rangiku pouted. "But since you weren't there, I obviously couldn't talk to you. I was on my way over here when I was stopped and given these. Can you imagine? They wanted me to bring something to you like a slave! But I did it, out of the goodness of my heart."

She patted her heart, although it was no doubt hidden under the extravagant layers over it. Mr. Shûhei put a hand to his nose again, but again, nothing happened. Then Ms. Rangiku tossed a white package to each of the men, who curiously opened them and drew out white garments.

"Ooh, they're the Espada costumes," said Mr. Kira, sounding interested for once.

"Cool!" said Mr. Shûhei. "What are we supposed to do with them?"

There was a long and awkward silence. Mr. Kira looked exasperated.

"Really, Shûhei?" he said.

"This is what you're supposed to do!" Ms. Rangiku giggled, and yanked her hand forward. He finger attached to Ulquiorra's collar made him fall forward as well, and Hallie could see what he was wearing for the first time.

It looked like an elaborate white tuxedo. Long coattails fell to his ankles, and his legs were clothed in loose white pants. A thick black belt covered his stomach that would be left exposed otherwise. His hair looked slightly damp, but Hallie didn't think that had anything to do with the costume. She remembered the first day she'd seen him – he was dirty, kind of smelly, and not very hygienic-looking. Now he looked cleaned up, respectable, nice – but uncomfortable in his own skin. He fidgeted at being in the spotlight, Hallie could see that.

"You mean they have to wear these? Like they used to?" Mr. Shûhei frowned. "Who commissioned this? Whoever it was is a total moron. Are they _trying_ to make the Espada remember? I thought that that _wasn't_ the point."

"It was Captain Kurotsuchi, apparently," Ms. Rangiku said, looking slightly serious for once. "He said he didn't like the World of the Living clothes. So he had Nemu whip up a bunch of these."

"She's fast," Mr. Kira commented.

"She's, like, half robot," Ms. Rangiku said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, let your Espada put these on. Er…if you think Halibel's will fit. She's shaped…differently than she used to be, if you catch my drift."

"They're all shaped differently," said Mr. Kira.

"Yeah, but –"

"There's a difference between a man with a glass tube for a head and this little guy," Mr. Kira said, gesturing at Aaroniero. All three kids looked at each other, confusion etched on their faces. _A glass tube? For a head? Is that even possible? _Hallie wondered.

Ms. Rangiku sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Okay. Point taken. I'm sure Nemu adjusted it to fit her…smoother body."

There was a loud choking sound. Everyone looked at Shûhei, who had a hand pressed to his nose again. This time blood was spurting from between his fingers and dripping down his arm. Ms. Rangiku quickly snatched the white bundle from his arms before any of the crimson liquid could get on the fabric.

"He must have a sensitive nose," Aaroniero said loudly. "Don't worry, Hisagi. I get nosebleeds all the time."

"Heh, I think you probably get a different kind," Ms. Rangiku.

"Then what kind does he get?" Aaroniero asked, confused.

"Look, how about you two go put these on?" Ms. Rangiku said weakly. Then she brightened. "Ulqui darling, why don't you go with them?"

Ulquiorra made an expression of disgust. "I've told you. Do not address me by that vulgar name."

Ms. Rangiku squealed. "Aw, he's so cute! Go along, you three. Bathrooms are just down the hall." She shoved all three out the door, and, stumbling a little, they made their way to the bathroom.

Hallie headed for the women's room, separating from the boys. There was no one else in there, but she still locked herself in a stall, not wanting anyone else to see in case they walked in.

Hesitantly, she unrolled her collar. Running her fingers over her marred lower jaw, she suddenly wondered if the costume had a collar as well. She picked it up. It was a long sleeved half-jacket – and it had a collar. Relieved, she searched for the tank top she was sure would go under it, but she couldn't find one. She looked harder, but there wasn't a whole lot of material to look through. She sighed and put on what she had, including the shoes, and then picked up her old stuff and walked out to wait for the boys.

After five or ten minutes, she started to get worried. It couldn't possibly be taking _that_ long just to put on some costumes. She frowned, then made up her mind and pushed open the door of the boys' room.

What she saw made her drop her old clothes in shock.

Ulquiorra and Aaroniero were on their backs on the floor, both dressed in the white costume. They were surrounded by a group of black-clad men, circling the two. Each man had his sword drawn, and the swords were pointing at the necks of the two boys.

"Wow. For Espada you two are pretty weak," sneered one man.

"I can't believe we could take them so easily," sneered another.

"Let's just kill 'em now."

"Save the Central 46 some time in the morning."

"We'll be heroes!"

"Two birds with one stone!"

Aaroniero started struggling – kicking and yelling. But Ulquiorra held still. The men drew their arms back, cackling madly.

Hallie was frozen. She was sure that once they got done slaying her friends they'd turn and see her. It crossed her mind to run. In fact the thought took a screeching halt in her mind and jumped up and down, waving madly. She was about to turn and run for the lieutenants when she realized – if she ran now, the boys would die for sure. She'd live, but they'd die.

"HEY!"

The whole group stopped and turned to face her. She summoned up her whole voice. She used it so rarely that it was raspy and not very forthcoming.

"What are you…doing?" she demanded.

A wicked grin spread across the faces of the men, and she instantly cursed herself. She should have run for help when she had the chance.

"Well, looky here!" said one of the men. "Another Espada fell right into our hands. It must be my lucky day!"

"It's not!" Hallie growled, and in the face of all the men, she pulled down the collar of her jacket.

"Huh?"

"W-what is that?"

The only one that screamed was Aaroniero. He let loose an earsplitting shriek – but it wasn't directed at Hallie. It was a cry for help. In an instant, Lieutenant Kira had flashed to the bathroom and stood above the men, his eyes flashing. Hallie rolled her collar back up, noticing Ulquiorra's emerald green eyes lingering on her face. She felt her heart sink – by saving her friend, did she lose him?

"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON HERE?" he yelled at his men.

"Er…nothing, sir! We was just having a little fun with the kiddos!" one cried out.

"Hm. Fifteen men versus two five year olds and an eight year old?" Mr. Kira snarled. "That hardly qualifies as "fun"! What do you think we are, Squad Eleven? I will not tolerate this disgusting behavior. Get the hell out of this bathroom!"

The men gave a little jump and rushed past Mr. Kira, making a break for the hall and away from their dangerous lieutenant. Mr. Kira made his way in, holding out his hand to Aaroniero to help him up. Hallie held out her hand to Ulquiorra, but he ignored her and pushed himself up. She withdrew her hand as though she had been shocked.

"Let's go," he said harshly, but just then Ms. Rangiku flounced into the bathroom, her eyes wide.

"Ulqui darling!" she exclaimed, and threw her arms around the pale boy. "Are you okay, my dear boy? Oh, my goodness. I can't believe they would do that!"

"Well, they did," Mr. Kira said darkly. "Rangiku, you need to back away from that Espada."

"Yes, please do," said Ulquiorra's voice, sounding muffled.

"They could be dangerous," Mr. Kira responded.

"Oh, please," Ms. Rangiku scoffed. "They're just as harmful as Sora Kurosaki." But she still withdrew her arms from Ulquiorra and pulled away. Ulquiorra cleared his throat and somehow managed to regain his composure, to Hallie's amazement.

"See, if that was the old Ulquiorra, he would have Doom Blasted you to ashes," said Mr. Shûhei, coming in.

"Not funny," Ms. Rangiku said.

"They called it Cero," Mr. Kira muttered.

"Anyway, are you all ready to go?" Mr. Shûhei said, making a thumbs up.

"Where are we going?" Aaroniero asked.

"We're going drinking!" exclaimed Ms. Rangiku, also flashing a thumbs up. "You ready?"

**!**

"…"

"…"

"This is really boring," Aaroniero said.

Neither of the other two responded. They were sitting on a bench outside of a large bar. Undeterred by their duties, the three lieutenants had set them down on a bench outside and then went in to party. Ms. Rangiku had thought it would be cute to tie them to the legs of the benches like they were dogs. Now, bored and tied down with the red collars and some rope, the three sat in silence broken only occasionally by Aaroniero's awkwardness.

"I can't believe them," Aaroniero complained. "I thought they were supposed to pay attention to us. Make sure we don't run away and stuff."

"They did that," Ulquiorra commented, holding up the thick rope that bound them to the bench.

"Yeah, but, like…guard us and stuff, make sure we don't, like, chew through the ropes or anything."

"If you would like to chew though this rope, be my guest," Ulquiorra offered.

"Or if those Squad Three guys show up and try to kill us again," Aaroniero said, fear tingeing his voice.

Hallie snuck a glance at Ulquiorra. He still hadn't said anything to her since he'd seen her face. She sighed and tried to cheer herself up. She didn't regret saving him. She'd rather him be alive and ignoring her than dead.

Night was falling, and Hallie shivered. She'd discovered earlier from Ms. Rangiku that there was in fact not supposed to be a tank top under the half-jacket. This was all she got. The wind blew across her bare torso and her thighs where slits were cut in the sides. Despite herself, she couldn't help but like the white uniform. It looked like something she would have picked out at home that her mother would have quietly sworn at and then led her quickly away from.

"I don't think…they will," she said. "I think…Mr. Kira scared them…away."

Ulquiorra glanced at her. She met his gaze defiantly. He looked away first.

They lapsed into silence. Time passed, and the sky grew darker. The darker the sky got, the louder the bar got, music and noise spilling out to the ears of the children.

Aaroniero had fallen asleep. His head lolled between Hallie and Ulquiorra. Hallie was studying her nails, while Ulquiorra was staring straight ahead with a blank expression on his face. She could sense his desire to ask bubbling under the surface, and admired his ability to hold it in.

Finally she said, "If you want to ask…me a question, you can."

"Why did you save us?"

That was not the question she'd been expecting. "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said. Those men were carrying sharp blades. They could have killed all three of us without breaking a sweat. Why did you risk your life to save us? It would have been so easy for you to run and save yourself."

"I don't think…I could have lived…with myself…if you had died," she said simply.

"How touching," someone sneered.

Hallie and Ulquiorra both snapped their heads up. It was the Squad Three members again. They had the children surrounded, and their hands were all resting threateningly on their swords.

"Ooh, look," said the lead one. "It's the little birdies who made fools of us earlier. And look! They're all tied down. Looks like the little birdies can't fly away this time."

"That bird is lucky," said one, gesturing to Aaroniero. "I wish I could have the opportunity to die in my sleep."

"Ha! Yeah, sure is," said another. "We'll make it quick for him. However, these two…hmm, first I think we'll take out the boy, since the girl can't live with herself if he dies. Maybe she'll die on the spot without us having to lift a finger!"

The others all sniggered. "You want to do the honors?" one said to the leader.

"Sure," said the leader, drawing the blade. It flashed in the moonlight. Hallie, who had been frozen in terror, narrowed her eyes and raised her hands to her collar.

Someone reached out and smacked her. "Oh, no, you don't, you little witch," they sneered. "Now your little friend's death will be that much more painful."

"Move," the leader roared, and the silver blade came flying down. Hallie's mouth opened as blood flew into the air, drenching the sky in crimson. She gave a silent scream and Ulquiorra collapsed back on the bench.

"Now for the witch," declared the leader. He raised his blade, no longer silver, but now coated with Ulquiorra's blood. Hallie cringed for the blow –

But it never came.

Tentatively, she opened her eyes. All the men were looking back behind them, their gazes ones of terror. Behind them was the short white-haired captain, Hitsugaya or something.

"Step away from the Espada," he said dangerously.

All the men backed slowly away and then scattered into the night. Hitsugaya pulled something out of his pocket, pressed a few buttons, and then snapped it shut.

"Captain Unohana will be her momentarily," he said, and then turned away, his white robe flapping in the wind.

Hallie turned frantically to the boy bleeding out next to her on the bench. She was about to shake him to see if he was still alive when something stopped her.

"Please do not touch him. He is still alive, but any sudden movement will quickly reverse that."

Hallie looked up to see a woman with a white robe and hair braided in front of her chin standing there with a grave expression on her face. Behind her stood a tall gray-haired woman and a blond man with glasses.

"Third seat Iemura – please take the Espada to the medical unit. Isane, please accompany him."

The two nodded, cut Ulquiorra's bonds, scooped him up and flashed away.

"Captain Hitsugaya, do you know what happened here?"

"I don't know. I came here just as they were attempting to murder this one. Where are the lieutenants in charge of you?"

Wordlessly, Hallie pointed to the bar.

"Who tied you up?"

"Ms. Rangiku."

"How long have you been here?"

"A couple hours."

Hitsugaya nodded and turned to Captain Unohana. "Do you think you could take the cuarta to Captain Ukitake's barracks once he's healed?"

"Yes. Should I take these two there as well?"

"Yes. I must go reprimand my lieutenant. If you'll excuse me."

Captain Hitsugaya turned and strode inside the bar. Captain Unohana sighed and snapped her fingers. Three more Soul Reapers appeared in front of her.

"You – tell the people mending the cuarta to send him to Captain Ukitake's once his treatment is complete. You – take the girl to Captain Ukitake's. And you – take the boy."

The three nodded. One flashed away, and the other two scooped up Hallie and Aaroniero and carried them away in a flash as well.

When they arrived at a stop, they were in another office similar to Mr. Kira's. A man with long white hair was dozing on a couch. When they arrived in the office, he woke with a start.

"More?" he said with a sigh.

"Sir! The tercera Espada, Tia Halibel, as well as the noventa Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie. Captain Hitsugaya has ordered us to bring them here, as well as the cuarta Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer, when his treatment is complete."

"His treatment?" the man – Hallie guessed it was Captain Ukitake – said, alarmed. "What happened?"

"It is not our place to tell, sir," said the one with Hallie, bowing her head. "We have only been ordered to bring the Espada here for the night."

"Well, okay," said Captain Ukitake. "Sentaro! Kiyone! Two more air mattresses, please, and have one more ready for the cuarta. Jeez, why do I get the feeling I'll end up with all eleven by the time this night is over?" He sighed and scratched his head.

Beds were made up for the two of them. Hallie was brought into a room cluttered with other sleeping forms. Exhaustion settled into her bones; she fell into bed and was asleep before she could ask if her friend would be all right.

* * *

><p>CUARTA ESPADA<p>

_-Ulquiorra Schiffer-_

Ms. Rangiku sighed and took her hand off of her sword. She looked down at Ulquiorra and gave him a once over, then grinned.

"Captain!" she called. "I'm taking this dear child to the bathhouse. When was the last time you had a bath, sweetheart?"

Ulquiorra thought. Apparently it took him too long to answer, because she clucked and shook her head. "Oh, dear. Well, it looks like you'll be needing one, Ulqui darling. Do you mind if I call you Ulqui darling?"

"Yes."

"Oh, goody, then. Well, let's go, precious." She smiled, pushed a finger through his collar, and dragged him away from the room. He slipped inside his shoes, but Ms. Rangiku's finger inside his collar never let him slip. Her stride was quick and purposeful; her long hair flounced along behind her, whipping his face with every bouncy step. Her finger inside the collar chafed his neck, but it was so soft. He thought of Sensei, how she'd tenderly held his hand instead of whirling him about like this woman. She'd been gentle, done everything at his pace. She'd paid attention to _him_, not herself. He missed her a lot.

Ms. Rangiku dragged him outside. Without pausing, she whirled on him, her arms out. He recoiled, his eyes wide, but she scooped him up and – and – and _what?_ It was like she teleported or something, but it was far more uncomfortable than he had ever imagined teleporting to be. Colors and sounds all blended together to make an awful wailing of chaos around him. Wide eyed, he had no choice to hang on to the woman with everything he had.

When she finally stopped, Ulquiorra was gasping. He drew in a shuddering breath and choked on his own spit. Coughing and sputtering, he couldn't fight Ms. Rangiku as she blithely dragged him inside a wide building with the numeral for 10 on it.

"Aide! Please draw a bath for the Espada!" she shouted, and people scurried around away from him. He looked around. The floors and walls were made of mahogany wood, and they were lined with horizontal metal poles that fluffy white towels hung from. Glass doors were also set into the wall, the glass steamy and covered with condensation. People dressed in white robes scurried from door to door, waiting on the people inside.

Ms. Rangiku lead Ulquiorra to a door with aides standing around outside at attention. She ushered him inside and closed the door.

"You can leave your underwear on," she said. "But you, my young sir, are in desperate need of a bath. So get in. Trust me, if it wasn't against our protocol, I'd get in with you for sure – it feels amazing. Hop in. I won't look."

She turned her back. Hesitantly, Ulquiorra began to undress, but when the warm vapors from the bath tub hit his bare skin, he all but ripped off his clothing and dove into the tub.

Oh, Jesus. It was so warm. Ulquiorra's skin tingled all over and his body seized up in pleasure. He gave a little groan of bliss and Ms. Rangiku turned around, her eyes lighting up.

"Oh, you look so warm and cozy! I wish – hey, what's that?"

"What?" Ulquiorra looked down. On his chest were two strange marks. One, over his heart, looked like the number 4, and the other was a perfect circle centered on his chest. "I don't know."

"What do you mean? You must have seen 'em before, kiddo. They didn't just appear overnight."

"Probably not," Ulquiorra agreed. The bathwater was softening his personality. "But I don't really go shirtless that much."

"You must have seen them when you change clothes."

"Change clothes?"

The room was silent for a moment, before Ms. Rangiku screwed her face up in disgust. "Oh, ew. That's gross. Ok, I take back what I said earlier. Give me every single piece of clothing you're wearing. I need to dispose of them accordingly."

Under the cover of bubbles, Ulquiorra peeled his underwear away with his toes. He dove underwater for a moment to find the soaked piece of clothing and the warm water washed over his back. He immediately wished for a snorkel so that he could stay under forever.

Unfortunately, he did not have a snorkel, so he unwillingly came back up to the surface with the underwear and handed it to Ms. Rangiku. She held it at an arms' length away from herself and dropped it into the pile with the rest of his clothes. She then snapped her fingers and an aide poked their head into the room, at attention.

"Please, take these clothes and burn them," she said. "They will never be clean, ever."

"Wait! No!" Ulquiorra hoisted himself up by his elbows, his hipbones pressing against the sharp edge of the tub. "Please don't!"

He instantly regretted his decision to emerge from the tub – the cold air washed over his wet skin, and he almost dove back into the tub. But he held his ground, desperate to save his only worldly possessions from the incinerator. "What will I wear when I get out?"

Ms. Rangiku looked surprised. "Uh, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But you're not putting that stuff back on, or else we'll have wasted this whole time. Thank you," she said to the aide, who gathered up Ulquiorra's clothes and left the room. "Now, Ulqui darling, we should probably wash your hair." She grinned and knelt by the tub as Ulquiorra slid back in, feeling a little upset.

"With what?" he said crossly.

She looked surprised. "Shampoo, of course." She grabbed a bottle and popped the cap off, upending it on her bare palms. Ulquiorra watched the concoction ooze out with apprehension.

"Will that not get stuck in there?" he asked.

"No, no." Ms. Rangiku giggled. "Here, touch it. It's not sticky."

Hesitantly, he put his finger in. She was right – even though it looked as sticky as syrup, it actually slid easily off of his hands. He sniffed the little bit on his fingers. Surprised at how good it smelled, he put it in his mouth.

"No!" she cried as he gagged. "You don't eat it, Ulqui darling. Silly boy." She smiled as he spat frantically into the water. While his guard was down, she attacked his head with her hands, her nails scratching his skull and making the yellow syrupy substance foam. He recoiled from her touch and put his hands to the bubbles on his head in a panic.

"That's what it's supposed to do," she said. "Come back here, I need to finish so that we can be done."

He slid back through the tub to her, and she began to massage his hair again. He closed his eyes and leaned back in the tub, letting her clean him up. It felt so good…

Before he knew it, she had stopped. "Close your eyes," she said, grabbing a cup. He did so and tilted his head back, letting her run the water over his head, chasing the bubbles out. She combed her fingers through his hair, searching for any stray soap. But it was all gone.

Ms. Rangiku stood and got one of those white fluffy towels that he'd seen earlier.

"Here," she said. "Put this on. I'll turn around." She turned her back and Ulquiorra took hold of the towel, standing and letting the water drip from his body. He wrapped his waist in the towel and held it firmly in place with his hands.

"Okay," he said. Ms. Rangiku turned around and squealed.

"Aren't you the cutest thing," she giggled. She snatched up another towel and expertly wrapped his hair up inside it, then giggled some more. "Oh my goodness, I just want to gobble you up."

Ulquiorra met her gaze blankly. She reached out a finger and traced the marks on his chest.

"I don't know…" she murmured.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto?"

Ms. Rangiku jumped and turned away from Ulquiorra. "Oh! Akon!" she exclaimed as a man with short black hair and three tiny horns in his forehead poked his head in. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. Captain Kurotsuchi commissioned the Espada to wear these," he said. "Er…just go ahead and put it on 'im when you're ready." He tossed her a white package, which she caught easily. Nodding, he withdrew.

"Huh." She looked at the package, and then began to unwrap it. "I wonder what – oh!" Smiling, she held up a considerable amount of white fabric. "I suppose this is the original costume. Cute! Looks like it's your lucky day, precious. Here's your new outfit. I'll turn around while you put it on."

She handed him the clothing and turned her back. He let the towel fall to the floor. Pulling on the pants, he tried to make them feel right – in the front they had a piece that covered his belly button and in the back they were normal. He looped on a black belt and then picked up the shirt. Slipping it over his head, he twisted his body to look at the long tails that hung from it. Sighing, he twisted back around and zipped up the collar to hide the black marks on his chest. He then crouched down on the floor and put on the black socks and white sandals that he'd been given.

"Let's go," he said when he was done. Ms. Rangiku turned back around. Instead of the happy reaction he'd expected, she looked angry now.

"I don't understand why he would do this," she said.

"Do what?"

She started. "Er…nothing, sweetheart. Let's go!" Smiling, she hooked her finger in his collar again and dragged him out of the bath house.

He felt eyes on him as they left the room. Everyone stared with fear on their faces. Ulquiorra felt very unsure about what was going on as Ms. Rangiku, exasperated with his slowness, finally scooped him up and did that same flash thing she'd done earlier.

When they arrived at their destination, Ulquiorra was gasping again. She was carrying him on her hip, but she kept holding him instead of letting him down like a normal person would do. She marched inside the building they'd arrived at and barged inside a room without knocking, calling, "Shûhei! Want to –"

She stopped short. A few people looked up at her, and Ulquiorra looked around. It looked like an office, with cubicles in which many people in black uniforms were working diligently.

"He went to Squad 3 with his Espada," someone called.

"Did he now. Well, thank you," she said, and flashed away again.

When they arrived at their next destination, Ulquiorra was completely out of breath. He was gasping over her shoulder and was saved from more rapid movement when a man with a triangle-shaped hat stopped in front of her.

"Please deliver this to the men inside for their Espada," he said, and handed her two white packages. She set Ulquiorra down so that she could accept them, and turned them over in her hands, studying them.

"Well – hey, wait!"

The man had flashed away. Ms. Rangiku crossed her arms and stared after him with a disgruntled expression on her face. "Jeez. What does he think I am, his slave?" She frowned down at Ulquiorra. "Well, come along, then," she said, and hooked her finger through his collar, dragging him inside the building.

She walked down the hall and poked her head into a room. "Ooh, Shûhei, not being too weird, are we?"

Ulquiorra gave an exasperated sigh and leaned against the wall as the men inside – if you could call them _men_ – gave happy-sounding greetings in return. He closed his eyes and attempted to tune them out, being forcibly yanked back to reality as Ms. Rangiku pulled him forth on her fingertip to show him off like a display. He saw Hallie and a kid he'd never met before in there as well, eyeing him with interest. He fidgeted, uncomfortable.

"You mean they have to wear these? Like they used to?" One of the men, the one with spiky black hair and tattoos, frowned. "Who commissioned this? Whoever it was is a total moron. Are they _trying_ to make the Espada remember? I thought that that _wasn't_ the point."

"It was Captain Kurotsuchi, apparently," Ms. Rangiku said, looking slightly serious for once. "He said he didn't like the World of the Living clothes. So he had Nemu whip up a bunch of these."

"She's fast," commented the other man, the one with the blond hair and the depressed, drooping teal eyes.

"She's, like, half robot," Ms. Rangiku said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, let your Espada put these on. Er…if you think Halibel's will fit. She's shaped…differently than she used to be, if you catch my drift."

"They're all shaped differently," said the man with the blond hair.

"Yeah, but –"

"There's a difference between a man with a glass tube for a head and this little guy," he said, gesturing at the kid Ulquiorra had never met before. He guessed it must be Aaroniero Arruruerie, the kid Lilinette had described as the schizophrenic. All three kids looked at each other, confusion etched on their faces. _A glass tube? For a head? Is that even possible? _Ulquiorra wondered.

Ms. Rangiku sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Okay. Point taken. I'm sure Nemu adjusted it to fit her…smoother body."

There was a loud choking sound. Everyone looked at the black-haired man, who had a hand pressed to his nose. Blood was spurting from between his fingers and dripping down his arm. Ms. Rangiku quickly snatched the white bundle from his arms before any of the crimson liquid could get on the fabric. She didn't look surprised at all.

"He must have a sensitive nose," Aaroniero said loudly. "Don't worry, Hisagi. I get nosebleeds all the time."

"Heh, I think you probably get a different kind," Ms. Rangiku.

"Then what kind does he get?" Aaroniero asked, confused.

"Look, how about you two go put these on?" Ms. Rangiku said weakly. Then she brightened. "Ulqui darling, why don't you go with them?"

Ulquiorra made an expression of disgust. "I've told you. Do not address me by that vulgar name." He hadn't, actually, but he guessed that Ms. Rangiku hadn't been paying attention to him for the majority of the time anyway.

Ms. Rangiku squealed. "Aw, he's so cute! Go along, you three. Bathrooms are just down the hall." She shoved all three out the door, and, stumbling a little, they made their way to the bathroom.

Hallie split off and went into the girls' room while Ulquiorra and Aaroniero entered the boys'. Aaroniero went into a stall to change while Ulquiorra leaned against the sinks, looking at his costume properly. It looked pretty good on him, actually. Like something he would have picked out himself.

A few minutes later, Aaroniero came out, wearing a white costume with a tall, ruffled collar and lacy-looking sleeves. "It feels like it was made for someone with a slightly larger head," he commented to Ulquiorra, who had noticed that Aaroniero's head seemed a little too small for his body.

"Yeah. Let's go meet Hallie. She is probably wait –"

"Huh?"

Ulquiorra and Aaroniero both jumped at the unexpected voices. Looking up, they saw that the doorway had been crowded full of men wearing black robes, all with puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Who're these princely maggots?" the lead one asked.

"They look like the kid Espada to me," another one growled.

"Oh…what a _find!"_ the lead one smiled, and suddenly the entire hoard of them were in the bathroom all at once. Ulquiorra and Aaroniero pressed up against the sinks, shaking.

"Looky _here_. We got our hands on some _Espada!_ What'cha gonna do, you little beasts? Go ahead and cero us to death!"

Ulquiorra looked at Aaroniero, confused. _What? Cero?_

"Go ahead!" they shouted. "You better get us before we get you, heh."

Ulquiorra shook his head slowly.

"Okay, then," said the lead one, and all of a sudden Ulquiorra's skull had connected with the floor, cracking painfully on the hard surface. He looked over to see Aaroniero's face screwed up in pain.

There was a _chink_ sound as the lead one drew his sword. "It's survival of the fittest around here, ya know," he sniggered.

The rest of them drew their swords and pointed them at Ulquiorra and Aaroniero's necks. Ulquiorra craned his head to try to avoid them, but there were just too many. Next to him, Aaroniero started shaking and whimpering.

"Wow. For Espada you two are pretty weak," sneered one man.

"I can't believe we could take them so easily," sneered another.

"Let's just kill 'em now."

"Save the Central 46 some time in the morning."

"We'll be heroes!"

"Two birds with one stone!"

Aaroniero started struggling – kicking and yelling. But Ulquiorra held still. The men drew their arms back, cackling madly.

_They were going to die._

"HEY!"

All the men froze, turning with expressions that betrayed their obvious lack of intelligence. Hallie was standing there in the doorway, dressed in loose pants that showed the majority of her thigh and a half-length, long-sleeved jacket that showed off her torso and covered the bottom half of her face. Ulquiorra felt his heart sink – great. Now she was going to die as well.

"What are you…doing?" she demanded, her voice raspy and slow from disuse.

Ulquiorra couldn't see the expressions on the faces of the men, but he could hear the delight in their voices. "Well, looky here!" cried one of the men. "Another Espada fell right into our hands. It must be my lucky day!"

"It's not!" Hallie growled, and in the face of all the men, she pulled down the collar of her jacket.

Ulquiorra froze at Hallie's face as the men murmured in shock and confusion. No wonder she hid it – her lower jaw was an absolute mess. Her skin was wrinkled and waterlogged-looking, the scars covering up to halfway up her nose. Under the scars, her nose was flat and skeletal, her nostrils lopsided and slatted. Her mouth stretched thinly, with no lips that he could see, in a wide grin that was so unnatural it sent shivers down Ulquiorra's spine. He could see how it would have scared the lieutenants before. Her entire face looked like something that belonged in _A Nightmare before Christmas._

Aaroniero screamed right into Ulquiorra's ear, but he was so paralyzed with shock at her face that he didn't even tell the stupid boy off for destroying his eardrums. In an instant Mr. Kira was there and Hallie was fixing her collar to hide the mess that was her face.

Ulquiorra couldn't hear. He couldn't think. Before he knew it, the men were gone. He pushed himself up off the floor without even noticing Hallie's offer for help until he saw her injured expression.

"Let's go," Mr. Kira said harshly, but just then Ms. Rangiku flounced into the bathroom, her eyes wide.

"Ulqui darling!" she exclaimed, and threw her arms around Ulquiorra. "Are you okay, my dear boy? Oh, my goodness. I can't believe they would do that!"

Having his face stuffed in Ms. Rangiku's chest woke Ulquiorra up very fast. He recovered in time to hear Mr. Kira say, ""Rangiku, you need to back away from that Espada."

"Yes, please do," Ulquiorra said, his voice sounding muffled even to himself.

"They could be dangerous," Mr. Kira added.

"Oh, please," Ms. Rangiku scoffed. "They're just as harmful as Sora Kurosaki." But she still withdrew her arms from Ulquiorra and pulled away. Ulquiorra cleared his throat and somehow managed to regain his composure, dusting off his white uniform.

"See, if that was the old Ulquiorra, he would have Doom Blasted you to ashes," said Mr. Shûhei, coming in.

"Not funny," Ms. Rangiku said.

"They called it Cero," Mr. Kira muttered.

"Anyway, are you all ready to go?" Mr. Shûhei said, making a thumbs up.

"Where are we going?" Aaroniero asked.

"We're going drinking!" exclaimed Ms. Rangiku, also flashing a thumbs up. "You ready?"

**!**

"…"

"…"

"This is really boring," Aaroniero said.

Neither of the other two responded. They were sitting on a bench outside of a large bar. Undeterred by their responsibilities, the three lieutenants had set them down on a bench outside and then went in to party. Ms. Rangiku had thought it would be cute to tie them to the legs of the benches like they were dogs, causing Ulquiorra's extreme embarrassment of his lieutenant. Now, bored and tied down with the red collars and some rope, the three sat in silence broken only occasionally by Aaroniero's awkwardness.

"I can't believe them," Aaroniero complained. "I thought they were supposed to pay attention to us. Make sure we don't run away and stuff."

"They did that," Ulquiorra commented, holding up the thick rope that bound them to the bench. It was as thick around as his forefinger and thumb in a circle.

"Yeah, but, like…guard us and stuff, make sure we don't, like, chew through the ropes or anything."

"If you would like to chew though this rope, be my guest," Ulquiorra offered.

"Or if those Squad Three guys show up and try to kill us again," Aaroniero said, fear tingeing his voice.

"I don't think…they will," Hallie said. "I think…Mr. Kira scared them…away."

Ulquiorra glanced at her. She met his gaze defiantly. He looked away first, his stomach churning.

Why did her face have this reaction on him? He prided himself on being unshakeable. But this had shaken him to his core.

They lapsed into silence. Time passed, and the sky grew darker. The darker the sky got, the louder the bar got, music and noise spilling out to the ears of the children. Aaroniero fell asleep, his head on Ulquiorra's shoulder, who was staring straight ahead.

"If you want to ask…me a question, you can." Hallie's low voice rumbled through the air, startling Ulquiorra.

He looked sideways at her. "Why did you save us?"

She looked startled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said. Those men were carrying sharp blades. They could have killed all three of us without breaking a sweat. Why did you risk your life to save us? It would have been so easy for you to run and save yourself."

"I don't think…I could have lived…with myself…if you had died," she said simply.

"How touching," someone sneered.

Hallie and Ulquiorra both snapped their heads up. It was the Squad Three members again. Ulquiorra felt his stomach drop – they had the children surrounded, and their hands were all resting threateningly on their swords.

"Ooh, look," said the lead one. "It's the little birdies who made fools of us earlier. And look! They're all tied down. Looks like the little birdies can't fly away this time."

"That bird is lucky," said one, gesturing to Aaroniero. "I wish I could have the opportunity to die in my sleep."

"Ha! Yeah, sure is," said another. "We'll make it quick for him. However, these two…hmm, first I think we'll take out the boy, since the girl can't live with herself if he dies. Maybe she'll die on the spot without us having to lift a finger!"

The others all sniggered. "You want to do the honors?" one said to the leader.

"Sure," said the leader, drawing the blade. It flashed in the moonlight. Ulquiorra felt his heart drop in terror, and saw Hallie's hands raise.

Someone reached out and smacked her. "Oh, no, you don't, you little witch," they sneered. "Now your little friend's death will be that much more painful."

"Move," the leader roared, and the silver blade came flying down. Time slowed and all Ulquiorra could hear was his heart thumping wetly in his chest. It hit Ulquiorra's chest in an explosion of pain, and the world went suddenly, and violently, black.

**!**

Ulquiorra floated up into consciousness and the first thing that he became aware of was pain.

His chest was on fire. It raged in a line running from his belly button to his left collarbone, licking through his senses and obliterating everything. It hurt so much that he couldn't help the tiny tear that trickled out of his eye.

He heard a loud gasp. His eyes flew open. The lights above him hit his vision like so many jackhammers; pounding his brain with needle-edged blades. His eyes watered even more, the tears flowing faster. Everything was tinged in a distinct shade of green; the shocked faces of the people above him had a strange quality to their skin. He then realized that he was surrounded in a green dome which seemed to be glowing somewhat. He reached out a hand to touch it on the side closest to him and felt it to be hard as a stone wall.

"I wouldn't do that," said a sweet voice.

He looked up to see a woman with dark hair and dark eyes, wearing her hair braided in the front of her face. She gazed down on him with sad eyes. "It won't let you out. How do you feel?"

"It hurts," Ulquiorra admitted.

"What else?" said another voice. Ulquiorra looked slowly at the other person and saw that it was Lieutenant Kotetsu.

"My eyes," he said. "They sting."

They both looked at him sadly. "Does one in particular hurt more than the other?"

"My left one."

"Ulquiorra," said the first woman, "close your right eye, please."

Ulquiorra did as she commanded, struggling to close one eye and not the other. As soon as his lid slid shut, the world went dark. He opened his eye in panic and looked at them.

"What did you do?"

"It wasn't us," said Lieutenant Kotetsu. "It was the members of Squad 3. They hit your eye when they attacked you. It was blinded. Probably for life."

He stared at her in horror. "For…life…?"

Lieutenant Kotetsu bowed her head. "I'm sorry, cuarta," she said. "We did everything we could. Otherwise, you will be fine. Your chest will be okay by morning in time for the trial. You need to go back to sleep so that we can continue healing you."

Ulquiorra watched as the captain laid her hand softly on the green dome. A peaceful humming noise filled his ears, and he drifted quietly off to sleep.

* * *

><p>QUINTA ESPADA<p>

_-Nnoitra Gilga-_

Nnoitra wasn't sure if he should feel unlucky or lucky in that moment.

Unlucky, because he'd been kidnapped from his home, taken to this place where he was a prisoner. He didn't have his freedom, his rights, nothing.

Lucky, because his warden was a weak, teary-eyed _woman._

Nnoitra felt very strongly about women and girls in general. They were so…_icky!_ With their bizarre bodies, wacky emotions, and leaky waterworks, he generally curled his lip and avoided them at all costs. His mother had left him and his father when he was just a baby, and his father had felt just the same about women that he did. They were weak, not useful, impossible to work with, and generally unnecessary for the future of the planet. They were so easily defeatable that they would no doubt eventually be completely wiped out and men would once and for all rule the planet.

His lieutenant, Momo Hinamori, was – it seemed to him – one of the weakest women that had ever existed. He'd bared his grin for her the second she'd seen him and she'd instantly recoiled. Now she was trying to pass up her responsibility for him to another lieutenant, this one a man. He sneered at the man's kid, who was a blue-haired creep, and the kid stared back defiantly. Nnoitra could easily read the fear in his eyes, and he held back laughter.

The conversation went on with the appearance of yet another woman – this one small and fragile-looking, but with an air about herself that seemed dangerous. Nnoitra, even with his hatred of the female race, was slightly in awe of her magnificence. He watched her closely to see what she was like, and also kept his eye on Hinamori. When the name Aizen was mentioned in the conversation, he noticed her stiffen and a look of pain cross her face. This he stored away for later – it might be useful in manipulating this weak woman.

Just as he thought his rule that all women might be weak and pitiful may have an exception, he saw a man flash into view, snatch her up, and flash away. He narrowed his eyes in disgust. Looks like the men owned even the strongest of the women.

Finally the tall ruby haired man called his kid and they walked out, the man watching him anxiously over his shoulder. Nnoitra smirked. Talk about a waste of time. The man should just forget her and rid himself of worry over the useless being.

Hinamori turned to him with a weak smile. "So, Nnoitra," she said. "It's Nnoitra, right?"

He scowled. "You could ask these losers," he said, gesturing to the guards standing with him. "Since you obviously can't defend yourself, or know anything yourself."

Her eyes hardened. "Would you like to bet on that?" she asked, only a slight waver in her voice. She snapped her fingers. "Guards, please. Leave us."

"Are you sure, Lieutenant?" one of them asked.

"Do you dare question me?" she demanded, and the guards instantly disappeared.

"Now, Nnoitra," she said, facing him. He was a little taken aback. This was a side of the lieutenant he hadn't expected. "Follow me, please."

She turned on her heel and walked away. Beaten for now, Nnoitra sneered and followed her outside. They walked for a while until they reached a building with the numeral for 5 on it. She ushered him inside and down a hall.

Lieutenant Hinamori led him into a room and took a seat at a desk. He followed her, sitting at the desk opposite her. She smiled at him and leaned forward a little. A disgusted look crossed his face and he leaned back.

"So tell me a little about yourself," she said.

"I'm Nnoitra," he said. An idea came to his mind; a wicked smile spread across his face. "But I'm more interested in hearing about you," he said. "Tell me, Lieutenant. Who is Aizen?"

She blinked. Her smile disappeared from her face. "A-Aizen?" she said. "H-how do you know that name?"

"Eh, I heard someone mention it," Nnoitra said. "You reacted so...interestingly...well, my curiosity was piqued, what can I say? So tell me. Who is Aizen? An old boyfriend, perhaps? Hm, how did this one demonstrate the obvious superiority of males to females? Come now, Lieutenant. You won't leave me in the dark, will you?"

She cringed with every word. Nnoitra was jumping up in down with glee inside. Yes! He had found her weakness. He just had to play on it until she finally broke.

"Maybe he was even married," he mused. "Hm. Was he married to you? I'll bet he was. I'll bet he was cheating on you with another filthy woman -"

"That's enough!" Lieutenant Hinamori shouted. She stood and leaned over him. "That's enough, Nnoitra!"

"Hit a nerve, have I?" This time he couldn't hold it in - he howled with glee. "Well, well, well. Isn't this wonderful? Oh my god - how far can I go with this? His name was Aizen..." She cringed back at the name. "Aizen." He stood. "Aizen. Aizen. Aizen. Aizen. Aizen." Every time he said the name, he took a step towards her. She cowered back in her seat. "Aizen!" he shouted. "Aizen! AIZEN!"

"That's enough!" someone roared. Nnoitra turned, his expression one of surprise. Standing in the doorway was a huge man with pointed features and an eyepatch and long, spiky hair. His nose was hooked, his eyes small. He looked at Nnoitra with an expression of extreme disgust.

"What in the world is going on here?" he growled.

Nnoitra scowled.

"Hm. Well, here's a face that hasn't changed much," the man growled. "Nnoitra Gilga, quinta Espada, killed by Kenpachi Zaraki of eleventh company – also known as…_me._" He grinned triumphantly as Nnoitra's eyes widened and his mouth stretched, revealing square teeth.

"Yer comin' with me, brat," he barked at Nnoitra. Then he directed his attention to Hinamori. "Sorry it took so long to get here. Renji came by and asked me to pick up this little rascal for ya, but Yachiru wouldn't hear of me goin' alone. I had to peel 'er off so she'd stay at home with our Espada."

"Oh – thank you so much, Captain Zaraki!" said Hinamori, bowing. "I am truly in your debt, sir."

"Don' mention it," Zaraki said, and grabbed the scruff of Nnoitra's neck. "Come along, brat."

He dragged Nnoitra down the hall and out into the sunlight, where he let go of the kid and drew himself to his full height, dwarfing Nnoitra. "Now, do you care to explain yourself?" he roared.

Uncomfortable, Nnoitra's face reverted to its sneer and he looked away from the man. Mistake. Zaraki grabbed the boy's chin and twisted his head to look at him. Getting in Nnoitra's face, he yelled, "Look at me when I'm talkin' to you! I don' ever want t' hear of anythin' like this ever happenin' again! _Do I make myself clear?"_

Scowling, Nnoitra nodded and wiped the spit off of his face. Zaraki let go of him and stood back up.

"Jus' as long as I make myself clear," he said. "Now we better get back to Yachiru before she and that Yammy kid tear each other to pieces. Get on, kid." He crouched down and Nnoitra climbed onto his back, feeling strange. As Zaraki began to run, Nnoitra thought about his new position. On one hand, he was now assigned to a man who reeked of power. Nnoitra suspected he could crush his head as easily as he could crush a grape. His prowess was so much that Nnoitra could literally feel his bones urging him to bow down and beg to serve. On the other hand, this man seemed a lot like Nnoitra himself. Vulgar, impolite, direct – just how Nnoitra worked hard to be. His father was the same way. He had a feeling he could really grow to respect this man.

Zaraki ran on and on. Nnoitra had just settled into the bouncing rhythm of the man's step when Zaraki skidded to a stop and leapt up some stairs, bursting into a building and sending doors swinging behind him. People dressed in the black uniform he'd been seeing everywhere gave little yelps of "Good evening, Captain Zaraki!" and scuttled out of the big man's way. Nnoitra felt like he was on top of the world while on his back. Even though Zaraki was only slightly larger than normal, when he was faced with all these weaklings, he seemed to be a giant. And Nnoitra was the lucky boy on the giant's back.

He burst into a room and was instantly greeted with a cry of "KENNY!" Nnoitra felt a huge pressure on his chest and he fell backwards, landing in a heap on the floor. He opened his eye and groaned when he saw a small pink-haired girl bent over him with a huge smile on her face.

"Oh, I remember him!" the girl squealed. "This is the one you fought, Kenny! He was pretty good!"

"Shut up, Yachiru!" Zaraki said. "I've told you a million times. They don' remember. Where's our Espada?"

"Over there," said the girl, waving behind her. Zaraki growled and went over to where she was pointing. As soon as he was gone, the girl – Yachiru – bent over and got close to his face.

"Listen," she said, her high-pitched voice suddenly dangerous. "I know why you're here. I know what you did to Momo. I'm just telling you now. Try anything like that with me and you'll wish you'd never been born."

Nnoitra stared at her, and she leapt back from him, her smile back on her face. "Kenny!" she called, running in the direction of Zaraki. "Do you have any snacks?"

"Not for you!" he roared. "What did I tell you about tyin' up the Espada?"

"But Kenny…!"

Nnoitra lay on the ground, his head spinning. That little pink-haired girl was definitely a force to be reckoned with. She'd delivered her warning to him quickly and easily, and when she had, gone was the carefree little angel. In her place was a cold demon who marched straight through the bush instead of beating around it. His lips turned down at the corners and he slowly pushed himself to his feet, only to be knocked down (again) by the girl.

"Go put this on!" she squealed, pushing a wad of fabric into his chest. Muttering, he stood, bracing for her to knock him over again, but nothing happened. He followed the sound of her squeals to a kitchen-like room in which Zaraki was grudgingly making her a snack and that Yammy kid was also standing with a white package, looking bewilderedly at it.

"Er… What are we supposed to do with these?" Nnoitra asked. Yammy looked up with surprise on his face.

"Oh, it's you," he said, and returned to looking bewildered.

"Put 'em on," Zaraki growled, spreading Nutella on toast. "Don' ask questions." He handed the toast to Yachiru, who happily put it in her mouth and chewed with a look of delight. "Now. Bathrooms are that way." He pointed, and Nnoitra and Yammy followed his finger with heavy feet and spinning heads.

Nnoitra changed silently into his outfit, snapping on the eyepatch with relish. It covered the deformed flesh over his eye perfectly. He'd been born without an eye over that space – or an eyelid. The socket was right there for the entire world to see, pink flesh mottled with wrinkled white skin around it. He felt magnificent in that white costume; the hood stretching far above him, curled toes on his black and white sandals, the thin top and baggy bottoms. He emerged from the bathroom grinning, and saw Yammy waiting for him.

"Let's go," he said abruptly, and turned. Nnoitra followed him back to the kitchen area where Zaraki was making Yachiru more toast. He turned when the boys entered the room.

"Want some toast?" he offered, lifting the knife in the air. Nnoitra followed the chocolate-coated utensil with his eyes and nodded hungrily.

"Just don' get it on those fancy white uniforms." Zaraki pushed two more slices of bread in the toaster. _He looks weird in the kitchen,_ Nnoitra couldn't help but think. Despite how strange he looked, it did not take Zaraki that long to prepare the toast and whip the chocolate onto it. He slid the plates in front of the boys and they both dug in.

"Mm, this is good," Yammy muttered, and Nnoitra had to agree.

"So what do you guys want to do?" Zaraki leaned on his hands, resting his elbows on the bar where Nnoitra and Yammy were eating. Yachiru hopped up on the table and sat cross-legged on the bar with a huge smile on her face.

"Let's play a board game!" she exclaimed happily.

**!**  
>It was late. Yachiru's board game idea had failed miserably. She was horrible at strategy, and as soon as it became apparent that she was going to lose, she angrily upended the board and stormed off.<p>

Nnoitra was lying on a couch, trying hard not to fall asleep. Next to him, Yammy was doing the same thing. Zaraki was talking quietly on a phone behind them, and they heard a snapping sound. A few seconds later, he appeared in front of them. Nnoitra looked at him through his iron eyelid.

"We don' have room for you two t' go down for the night," he said, "an' Ukitake said he'd take ya. So, hop on. Yachiru's asleep already – just be quiet. I don' wanna have t' wake 'er up and peel 'er off me because you two are makin' a racket."

He turned around, and Nnoitra climbed sleepily onto his back. To his surprise, Yammy easily fit on his broad shoulders with him. In a second, Zaraki was up and running, and the rocking of his gait easily put Nnoitra to sleep.

* * *

><p>SEXTA ESPADA<p>

_-Grimmjow Jeagerjaques-_

Grimm glanced angrily around him. His shoulder was being firmly held down by the red-haired lieutenant, Renji or whatever the h-e-double-toothpicks his name was. He forced down his anger and struggled to maintain the bored expression on his face.

The many people in the room were all aflutter over the Kurosaki boy. What was his name? Soar? Something like that. Dumb name, anyway. Grimm gave an impatient sigh as even Renji added a doglike bark to the conversation. Sounded like he was standing up for Soar. But what did Grimm know? Nothing. He was just a kid.

Then, all of a sudden, the conversation stopped and everyone started having their own conversations. One by one the motley assortment of kids began to disappear from the room with their various guards and lieutenants. Finally, it was just Grimm and that weird Nnoitra kid left. Renji and Nnoitra's lieutenant were talking quietly together. Nnoitra's lieutenant was twisting the hem of her sleeves, her toes curling in discomfort as Renji loomed over her.

"Look, Momo," Renji said. "You'll have guards. You'll have the seated squad members. Plus, you're a lieutenant and he's an eight year old kid. What are you so afraid of?"

Nnoitra sneered at Grimm, and a shiver went down Grimm's spine. He could understand exactly what the small woman was afraid of.

"I just..." Momo looked about ready to cry. "I just..."

"Look, just keep the guards with you. Put him in a room. Feed him. Hope he goes to sleep. If he acts up, send him to Ukitake. He loves kids, he'll take anyone. Just remember, Momo – he's a human boy. They may look and act like Espada, _but they're not._"

"Then what does Shiro have against them?" Momo argued. "I don't see why he would get so worked up over human children, Renji."

Renji sighed. "I don't think anyone knows what's wrong with Captain Hitsugaya at this point," he said wearily. "There's no point in – oh! Rukia! What are you doing here?"

A woman with black hair and wide indigo eyes had appeared in the room, simmering into place like the ninja guards that had taken Grimm away. She gave a little jump and smoothed her hair, looking flustered. "R-Renji! I didn't expect you to – oh, who's this?"

She'd seen Grimm and Nnoitra. Nnoitra smirked at her, his bangs falling far in front of his eye. Grimm wondered what was underneath that curtain of hair. Maybe Nnoitra had three eyes instead of two and he wanted to hide the extra one. Maybe he had four eyes. Maybe he had eight eyes all clustered together in a pack like a spider. Or maybe he had a hundred million eyes all so close together that it made him seem like a fly.

Grimm shivered and inadvertently moved closer to Renji.

"This is my Espada boy, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques," Renji said with an unreadable look on his face. "And Momo's Espada, Nnoitra Gilga."

"Hello, Rukia," Momo said.

"Hello, Lieutenant Hinamori," Rukia said absently. Then she turned to Renji. "They're just kids? I thought they'd be teenagers, at least."

"The thing with Aizen was ten years ago," Renji said. Out of the corner or his eye, Grimm saw Momo stiffen at the name _Aizen_. "How could they be older than ten? It'd be impossible."

"Are any of them ten?"

"Yeah, the primera. Took two captains and two vizards to kill _that_ little bastard. He had a freaking Cero _gun_."

The primera? That was Starrk, Lilinette's brother. Grimm's respect for the older boy rose several notches. He didn't know what a Cero was, but a Cero gun sounded cool.

"Anyway, Rukia," said Renji, ruffling her hair, "which Espada did your squad get -"

A man flashed into view, grabbing Rukia around the waist. "Sorry, Captain Ukitake needs you," he said, and flashed away with her in the middle of Renji's word.

"-landed with?" Renji finished weakly. Then he sighed. "Okay, Momo. I'll talk around. If I can't get someone to come and take Nnoitra for you, I'll do it myself. Just hand in there for a little bit, okay?"

Momo nodded and fidgeted. Renji sighed. "Come on, Jeagerjaques," he called, and resisting the urge to spit at the order, Grimm followed with a scowl. Renji glanced behind him, watching Momo talk with her Espada with a crease between his eyebrows, but Grimm stalked on.

"Where are we going?" he said.

"Squad Eleven," said Renji. "Number one on the list to take Nnoitra is Captain Zaraki. He's the biggest and the baddest – plus, he's the one who fought Nnoitra personally. He should be familiar with him, seeing as you all seem pretty similar to how it used to be."

Exasperated, Grimm demanded, "How it used to be _when?_"

"When it…was," Renji said lamely.

Grimm raised a blue eyebrow. Renji sighed. "I can't tell you," he said. "They'll probably reveal it tomorrow at the hearing."

"Hearing?"

"Yeah – weren't you listening? You all are going before the Central 46 tomorrow. They're going to trial you and then decide what to do with you. Hopefully they'll let you live."

Grimm racked his brains. He couldn't think of anything he might have done to deserve death. "But what did we do?" he asked.

For this, Renji had no answer.

They walked on, Grimm in a shocked silence, Renji in a grim one. They walked across plazas and past people who stopped and stared at Grimm, shrinking back from him in what seemed like fear. A little scared himself, Grimm shrank back into Renji again, all the angry-looking powerful people who were eyeing him confusing him.

Renji picked up the pace, speed walking past most and more people. Grimm had to jog to keep up. They finally reached a building with the numeral for 11 on the roof, and Renji pushed past men who suddenly had a much scarier look. Grimm held his breath as he passed them, but aside from the occasional mutter or stare, he was allowed to pass.

They made it inside. Renji opened the door to a room where Yammy, the pink-haired girl (Kusajishi?), and a very ominous-looking man with his hair pulled back into long spikes, grinning all together on the floor. The man raised his hand, and the boy raised his, the two of them clasping fists. The man counted to three, but before anything could happen, Renji cleared his throat loudly.

"Captain Zaraki!" he said, bowing deeply. Grimm scratched the back of his neck, bored. "I have a favor to ask of you on behalf of Hinamori Momo of Squad Five!"

"Eh? Well, what is it?" Zaraki grunted, the smile slowly fading from his face. He released Yammy's hand and stood, the sound of bells accompanying him. Grimm looked around for the sound and saw tiny red balls on the end of Zaraki's spikes.

"Sir, Lieutenant Hinamori has requested that you relieve her of her duties with her Espada."

"Who does she have?"

"The quinta, Nnoitra Gilga."

Zaraki laughed, the sound filling Grimm with a strange sensation of bloodlust. "Ha! That little bastard. I'm not surprised she doesn't wan' 'im. He's a feisty one. Yeah, sure, I'll take 'im. Where might I find 'im?"

"They should be at the Squad Five barracks, sir."

Kusajishi leaped up from the floor. "Let's go, Kenny!" she squealed, leaping onto his back.

"No, Yachiru." He lifted her off and set her on the floor. "I need you t' stay here an' look after th' kid. It'll be a big favor t' me. You aren't coming."

"But, Kenny!" She leaped onto his leg and held tight. "I have to stay with you, Kenny! It's my job!"

"Yachiru! Get off. I'm not gonna ask ya again. Yer gonna stay here with th' Espada. I'll be back in just a minute. Arm wrestle or somethin'. Don' tie him up or anythin'."

"Kenny! !"

Renji followed the man out of the room. "Thank you, Captain. I'm sure Mo - er, Lieutenant Hinamori will be very grateful."

"'S not a problem," Zaraki said. With every step he took he sent the bells jingling again. It was a hard sound, a bloody sound; a sound that made Grimm long to go back to that day in the park when he'd fought that Ul-kee-or-ra, Pantera vs. Murciélago, sticks vs. sticks.

When they made it outside, Zaraki took off running. Renji and Grimm followed him, but more slowly. The people all leered some more at Grimm, who was suddenly hyperaware that they were all dangerous-looking men with piercings and shaved heads. He slipped his hand through Renji's belt, who pretended not to notice (or maybe just didn't notice at all).

"Renji?"

"Yeah?" The ruby haired man looked down into the blueness of his assigned Espada. "What is it, Jeagerjaques?"

"It's Grimm…And, why did that man have bells in his hair?"

Renji stopped and looked at him in shock. "You heard the bells?"

Grimm looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Well, yeah. 'Course I heard 'em! They were bells. How could you _not_ hear 'em?"

"You heard the bells." Renji repeated it to himself. "A human child heard the bells…This is bad. This is very bad. Last human kid to hear 'em was Ichigo, and he didn't even turn out to be completely human…"

"Not _human_?"

"As an unqualified disaster, this ranks pretty high up there," he said. "I think we need to take you to see Captain Kuchiki."

**!**

"Why are you bothering me with this useless information?"

Grimm glanced at Renji, who was staring in shock at the man in front of him. They were all kneeling on the floor in a room that had three walls made of wood and opened into a garden. Captain Kuchiki, an elegant man with straight black hair and a graceful aura, was writing on a huge pad with a gigantic brush, laid out on the floor. Grimm guessed that this was because his desk was not large enough to support the huge paper.

"But, Captain - !"

"I see no cause for alarm," said the noble man, not lifting his eyes from his work. "I suggest you remove yourself from my office."

"What shall I do with the boy, sir?"

Captain Kuchiki did not shrug. "Whatever you please."

"But sir!"

"Lieutenant Abarai!" The captain finally raised his gaze to meet Renji's. His eyes were a penetrating gray. Renji gulped and recoiled. "Remove yourself from my office. Immediately!"

"H-hai!" Renji said, jumping to his feet. He yanked Grimm up by the collar. "Forgive me, Captain! Good day!"

He dragged Grimm out of the room, sliding the door closed quickly behind him. Grimm gagged, his collar choking him, and pulled it as far from his throat as was possible.

"We dodged a bullet," Renji sighed.

"Lieutenant Abarai!"

Renji jumped, but this voice was respectful instead of commanding and harsh like his captain's. Grimm saw the man shimmer into place and jumped.

"For the sexta, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques!" he barked from under his triangle-shaped hat, holding out his hand. In his grasp was a white package. Renji took it, scratching his head under his ponytail.

"Um, thank you?"

The man shimmered away. Renji leaned on the wall and slowly ripped open the package while Grimm's fingers twitched. He wanted to destroy that paper, rip every piece from its form until it was an unrecognizable pile of scrap on the floor.

_The aspect of death I represent is destruction._

"What's this?" Renji was holding up a mass of white material. "Oh! Must be the costume. Sweet! I'll let you go ahead and put it on. Follow me, Jeagerjaques. Bathrooms are this way."

"It's Grimm," Grimm muttered, following the man. Renji didn't hear him. Grimm shoved his hands in his pockets and followed him with a surly expression on his face. Renji pushed his way into a bathroom and bared the door for Grimm happily.

"Go ahead in!" He tossed Grimm the package and closed the door. Grimm held it up, studying it. It looked pretty awesome – except for one thing. It would show the horrible birthmark on his stomach, in the shape of a perfect circle, as well as the one on his back, which was shaped weirdly like a 6.

He shrugged and put them on. Looking at himself in the mirror, the lights bouncing grossly over his disfigured cheek, he couldn't help but flex his little muscles and bare his teeth at the mirror. He put a hand to his belt, but there was nothing there. For some reason he felt like something was missing.

"Lookin' good, there, kiddo!" Renji announced, coming in. Grimm jumped and dropped his arm guiltily. Renji grinned at him. "I thought up something you might like," he said. "Come on, Jeagerjaques!"

"It's Grimm!" Grimm insisted under his breath again, and again Renji didn't hear him. He held up his hands. In each one was a wooden sword, one slightly longer than the other.

"I'm going to teach you how to spar!" he said with a grin. "And I'm going to be your sparring partner. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. Come on."

He turned before Grimm could say anything and pushed the door open again. Grimm sighed and followed him outside, into the garden that was looking into Captain Kuchiki's office. Renji lead him into an open-ish area, tossing him one of the sticks. Grimm caught it wish ease, flipping it in his hands so that he was holding the wrapping. He looked up at Renji, whose expression was very taken aback and shocked.

"That's…not natural," he said.

"What's not natural?" Grimm asked, confused.

"A five year old shouldn't…" Renji shook his head. "Never mind. Ready?"

He gently swept his sword toward Grimmjow, who blocked it easily and went in for a hard blow to Renji's side. The man reacted with lightning reflexes and blocked the jab Grimm gave him. The boy then went for Renji's knees, and the older man blocked that too and leapt back.

"You were wide open!" Grimm called, laughing. "I know you can do better, Renji!"

Renji's expression was shocked, and now a little scared. He stepped back warily. "Have you ever done this before?" he asked warily.

"Nope!" howled Grimm, and he jumped into action, dashing for Renji. He hit a hard left, which Renji blocked, and then swept the stick around Renji's ankle which he jumped over. Then he faked to the right and hit a hard overhead which on Renji actually ended up being at mid chest.

Grimm was laughing, a maniacal laugh paired with his psychotic smile. All that ended when Renji knocked Grimm's sword away easily and pointed his own at Grimm's throat.

"Remember, Espada," he said coolly. "I am a lieutenant of the Gotei 13. You are a five year old child. If the real Grimmjow Jeagerjaques is in there somewhere, listen to me now. You will never win in a body like that one. Remember that in the ten years that you've been dead I've only been getting stronger. You hear me? You. Can. Never. Defeat. Me!"

Grimm looked away, scowling. Renji sighed and dropped his sword. "Hungry, Jeagerjaques?" he asked.

"It's Grimm," Grimm muttered, but said, "Sure."

"Good," Renji said with a hard look in his eyes. He flipped the sword up with his toes and before Grimm could react at all, swung the sword at Grimm's head and cracked him over the skull with it.

Grimm's eyes widened with shock, and he managed to get out the word "Renji…?" before he fell to his knees and slumped to the ground, out cold.

* * *

><p>SEPTIMA ESPADA<p>

_-Zommari Rureaux-_

Zommari had been raised in a Buddhist family. His mother had taught him about the power of meditation in times of hardship. She had always said that sitting and just clearing your head for a few minutes was like a breath of fresh air to the senses, and the longer you meditated, the more your senses would be cleansed and able to deal with whatever was thrown your way.

The second Zommari had been tossed in the cell with the others, he had sat down right where he was and began to meditate. Quickly tuning out the ramblings of the other children, he closed his eyes and sank deep into himself, ignoring the damp cement under him and the moldy small wafting into his nostrils.

He didn't know how long it had been before he became aware of the fact that something new was happening. Opening his eyes, he had seen a great mass of people standing outside the cell, ordering them all around. He closed his eyes and let his body move as instructed, not caring to pay attention in the slightest.

Now he was wishing he had paid attention. He was standing in front of a man with a serious-looking face, a pencil-thin mustache and oddly shaped sunglasses, wearing what seemed to be the uniform around here. A man with a big white beard was standing at the front of the room, ordering people around some more. He slammed his staff down on the ground, yelled some more, and then everyone disbanded.

"Tetsuzaemon Iba," said a voice, and Zommari looked around. The man behind him was holding out a hand to him, looking quite serious. "I don't think you were really..._with us_ earlier. You're Zommari Rureaux, correct?"

Zommari nodded and took the man's hand. They shook. The guards standing around Zommari all tensed at the contact, but Mr. Iba shook his head and they fell back.

"Let's get you to the barracks and to the captain," Mr. Iba said. "Guards, please. I'll handle the boy from here."

The guards all nodded and stepped back as one, pulling the red cords out of Zommari's collar as they did so. Zommari instantly felt about five pounds lighter and he raised his hand and rubbed his neck under the collar.

"You're surprisingly calm about all this," Mr. Iba said. "I didn't really get a chance to meet any Espada. But you don't really seem like any of the ones I'd heard about."

"I'm nothing like that group of scoundrels," said Zommari in a collected voice. He shifted his gaze to the right to see the rest of the children slowly dispersing with their assigned adults.

Mr. Iba sighed. "Well, we had best be going. Grasp my arm, if you please."

Zommari did as he was commanded and grasped the arm of the man. Mr. Iba then took off - was he running? Flying? Apparating? It was hard to tell. They were going far too fast for him to discern what was happening.

_...Of all the Espada, I have the fastest Sonido._

Wait. What?

Confused as to where that thought came from, Zommari shook his head. The word 'sonido' meant nothing to him, and while he'd heard the word 'espada' tossed around quite a lot that day, he still had no idea what it meant.

Mr. Iba came to a stop and Zommari wobbled on his feet, but kept his balance. He looked around. They were inside a room, an office actually. The walls were bare, and there was a single desk with an iron chair in the middle of the room. They were standing on a threadbare brown carpet. Other than this, the entire room was void of furnishings.

That's when Zommari saw the man standing behind them. He had to struggle to keep his expression in check as he gulped in intimidation. Mr. Iba bowed respectfully to him.

"Good afternoon, Captain Komamura," he said respectfully.

The captain looked at Zommari. He was a huge man, towering over the small black boy. His body was large and muscular looking, and he was wearing what looked like iron boots. But the main thing about him that was so scary was his head. Instead of a normal human head, this man sported the head of a wolf. He had small yellow eyes and a snout, and the whole thing was covered in brown and white fur. His mouth curled, his lip lifting to reveal sharp yellowish teeth.

"This is our Espada?" he said, his voice sounding like a growl rather than an actual voice.

Mr. Iba bowed again. "Yes sir! The septima. Zommari Rureaux, annihilated by Captain Kuchiki."

Captain Komamura stared at Zommari with those creepy yellow eyes. At last he turned on his heel (paw?) and strode out of the room. "I will be putting you in charge of care for the septima," he said, and left.

Mr. Iba sighed.

"I wasn't really expecting anything else," he said. "Are you hungry, Rureaux? I can get you some dinner."

Zommari nodded. Even though he really wanted to find a quiet place to meditate without interruption, he was a little hungry.

"Follow me," he said, and led Zommari into another room, where a table was set for one. He snapped his fingers, and a man wheeled a silver cart into the room, laid out with expensive-looking food. Zommari's stomach growled audibly, and Mr. Iba let out a small smile.

"You can have whatever you'd like," he said.

Zommari eagerly filled his plate and picked up his chopsticks with ease. He quickly began shoveling food in his mouth as Mr. Iba watched with a sad smile.

"You were hungry," he commented as Zommari laid down his chopsticks across his plate. "How was the meal?"

"It was satisfactory," said Zommari in his curt way. Mr. Iba sighed.

"Would you like to see you room?"

Zommari nodded. Now that his stomach was full he was looking forward to being able to meditate in a quiet area with no annoying little children around. (So what if he was the same age as the annoying little children? That was irrelevant!)

Mr. Iba lead him to his room, where there was simply a small cot in the corner and stone floors and walls. Zommari headed inside, and Mr. Iba stopped before closing the door.

"Uh, can I get you anything, before I go?" he asked.

"No, it's fine," said Zommari.

"Okay - wait, um, would you mind putting this on real quick?" he asked, handing Zommari a package. Zommari nodded. "Okay, well, just press this button if you want anything." Mr. Iba indicated a red button next to the door. "Um...yeah, then I guess...have fun?"

He closed the door and Zommari quickly put on the thing in the package, not even caring what it was. He supposed it was some sort of prison uniform. He then settled down on the floor, ignoring the cot. He didn't need that. He already felt guilty for eating so extravagantly. It was good that he was meditating now. He folded his legs into the lotus position and rested his palms face up on his knees. Closing his eyes, he sank deep within himself, breathing slowly and deeply. His mind closed, his awareness faded...

...

...

...

He didn't know how long it had been when he opened his eyes. He'd only woken because he'd heard a disturbance, but his bottom was aching so he decided to get up. Stretching, he listened for the noise that had woken him.

"His Spiritual Pressure is keeping everyone awake!"

If Zommari had to guess, he'd say that this was the captain, the huge wolf-headed man he'd seen earlier. He felt a slight tremor of fear and was suddenly glad that he was all alone in here and not out there with the captain.

"But sir -!"

"No buts!" roared the captain. "It's far too late for this. That boy has got to go. Take him to Ukitake's. He loves kids. One more on top of the primera won't kill him."

"Sir! It's nearly midnight! It's far too late to barge on Captain Ukitake - he's doubtlessly asleep, and we shouldn't disturb him in his frail condition -"

"I said no buts!" shouted Captain Komamura. "Take him to the Squad Thirteen barracks immediately so that my squad can get some sleep!"

"H-hai!"

The door to Zommari's room opened. Mr. Iba was standing there, his face grim.

"Captain Komamura has ordered me to take you elsewhere," he said gruffly. "Take my arm, septima." He thrust his arm towards Zommari, who took it. In an instant they were standing inside a cozy-looking room, with tan walls and bookshelves. A desk stood in the center of the room. A gray haired woman was holding a small boy gently in her arms, and was talking to a man with long white hair.

"-eye," she was saying. "When he woke up, I guess he was in pain, because he started crying a little. And look what happened. We tried to clean it off but it looks like it's permanent, at least for now."

"And the bandages?" said the man gravely.

"It was Squad Three - at least, that's what Captain Hitsugaya said. Apparently they were going to execute Halibel and Arruruerie as well, but he arrived in time to stop them."

"That's what the subordinates from Squad Ten said when they dropped those two off a couple hours ago," said the man wearily. "And will this one be all right?"

"It was touch-and-go for a little bit, but he should be fine," said the woman. "Just get Kiyone to change his bandages in the morning, he'll be all right."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Kotetsu," said the man, and took the boy from her. Kotetsu bowed and shimmered away.

"Sir!" called Mr. Iba. The man turned, and instead of the surprise Zommari had been expecting, there was only weary acceptance on his face when he saw the dark boy.

"And that makes all eleven," he said.

"Um...is this going to be okay?" Mr. Iba said. "I can take him back and try to convince Captain Komamura to -"

The man gave a nervous laugh and held up his hands. The boy in his arms slumped over a little more and he immediately clutched him tighter. "No, no, that's quite all right," he said. "I wouldn't want you to get into an argument with your superior, Lieutenant Iba. I can take one more. Follow me, please - I assume this is the septima, since all of the others are already here?"

"Yes, Captain Ukitake." Mr. Iba bowed and disappeared.

Ukitake turned and lead him into a back room, where he laid the boy gently in a bed and eased the covers up to his chin. Zommari looked around - he was able to see the shapes of other children, their bodies moving slowly up and down as they breathed.

"Sleep tight, Rureaux," said Captain Ukitake, gesturing to a bed. Zommari crawled in, settling down and preparing to meditate. But the bed was so soft and comfortable. Zommari couldn't even think. He just closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>OCTAVA ESPADA<p>

_-Szayelaporro Granz-_

'Porro looked up at his lieutenant, thinking of his best friend Nnoitra. He knew how Nnoitra felt about women. 'Porro himself didn't think they were that bad, but he wasn't a huge fan. Nnoitra was a whole 'nother story. He hated the entire species with his whole heart. With a sinking heart, 'Porro noticed that Nnoitra's lieutenant was a woman. More like a girl, actually. For some reason Nnoitra looked _happy_, his signature psychotic grin spread across his face, his hair curtaining his hollow socket. 'Porro took a hard look at his lieutenant, trying to see the woman through Nnoitra's eye. It hit him like a shockwave: _She was weak and manipulatable._

'Porro swallowed and sent the woman good luck thoughts.

He then turned his attention to his own lieutenant. She was short, plain-looking, with oval-shaped glasses and her hair pulled back into a bun with a sheaf of hair hanging over one side of her face. A thick book was tucked under her arm. Despite her smallness, her eyes burned with a toughness that he assumed had come from years of working with difficult men.

What had her name been? Lieutenant Ise? Maybe. It was such a bad name for her. _Ise_ – when her whole body reeked of fire.

"Let's go, Szayelaporro," she said, pushing up her glasses. With a snap of her fingers the guards disappeared. She snatched up his arm and spun on her heel, quickly walking away from the room. He stumbled and caught himself, his pink hair falling into the air and then back down. As soon as he'd regained his composure, he pushed up his glasses and said, "Where are we going?"

"To see the captain," said Lieutenant Ise. "Captain Kyoraku. That is how you will address him, and be sure to add the word _sir_. Or else it will be bad for you."

She walked on in silence, leaving 'Porro to imagine. What would the captain do to him if he didn't say _sir?_ Would he hurt him? Mangle him? Maul him? _Kill_ him? No! NO! What kind of a man was he, anyway? Was he big? Muscley? Fierce? Maybe he just didn't like the color pink. 'Porro was willing to be that he hated the color pink, and when he'd heard they'd been assigned to a pink-haired child, had gone into a mad rage and began breaking things and throwing things. And if you didn't address him properly, he'd go into another fit and start firing people left and right. A picture began to form in 'Porro's mind. A tall man, huge actually, towering over the city with skin as thick as iron, eyes burning with flames and the color of hot metal, every breath he exhaled smoke instead of air, killing innocent people with simply a glance. He was so strong he'd crush buildings under his palm like ants. When he moved his arms he destroyed cities. When he walked, earthquakes split the ground in his wake. 'Porro whimpered.

"Nanao, my sweeeeet…"

'Porro jumped, torn from his vision. A man was walking – no, _dancing_ – up to them. He was wearing a circular straw hat and an elaborate pink overcoat. He was very hairy – hair grew on his chest, arms, face, even the hand that he had extended towards them. 'Porro knit his eyebrows.

"Who are _you?" _he said rudely. Lieutenant Ise gasped.

"Szayelaporro Granz! Do not speak like that to the captain! Captain, please forgive him. He's hungry, he's tired, he's not in his right mind –"

"Now, now, Nanao. It's quite all right. Look at that beautiful hair. My, my, I've never seen any hair like this. I like it! Oh, now I wish I'd gotten to fight this little one instead of that lazy man with the guns."

"Captain, he almost beat you. He wasn't that lazy."

"Oh, yes he was, Nanao."

"You're the captain?" 'Porro suddenly blurted, then added, "Um, sir?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, I am. Why do you ask?"

"I expected you to be a little bit more, you know…_scarier_-looking." 'Porro gulped, and then realized what he'd forgotten. "I mean, a little bit more scarier-looking, sir."

"Oh, sweet Nanao, what have you been telling this poor boy?" The captain laughed and bent down to 'Porro's height. "It's okay, little man," he said. "You don't have to call me 'sir'. I'll just assume it's there, alright?"

"Yes, sir – I mean yes."

"That's more like it. Now, come along, you two. We should get back to the barracks, hmm?"

**!**

'Porro was bored out of his mind.

When they'd gotten to the barracks, he'd been asked to change into this weird costume/thing. It was a lot like a dress, with leggings underneath and stripes going down the front. When he first saw it, he almost refused to put it on, but then once he saw it on himself he decided he liked it after all.

The he had watched the captain and his lieutenant bickered back and forth for the better part of two hours. Now night was falling. He was so hungry his head was starting to get light. His fingers were twitching now, and his eyes were starting to shake.

Uh oh.

'Porro knew what was happening. He was prone to what his mother called "fits". When a fit came, 'Porro would completely lose his mind, taking on the personality of a mad dog. His mouth would foam, his body would be uncontrollable. When this happened, the people in his vicinity had to either try to get him into a room alone so that he could go quietly mad all by himself, or they would have to hold him down so that he couldn't attack anybody and be reduced to bucking and spitting. He couldn't help it. Usually it was triggered when his body badly needed something, be it food, water, sleep or even the urge to use the bathroom. And it always started with his eyes shaking in his brain.

A low growl started in the back of his throat. The captain and Lieutenant Ise both looked up suddenly at him.

"'Porro?" said the captain, who had bothered to get acquainted with the boy before ignoring him. "Is something wrong?"

"Quick –" 'Porro choked. He had to tell them what was going on before he completely lost his sanity. "Tie – tie me –" His eyes were shaking even harder now. He knew he had but seconds. "Tie me down, quick-"

His eyes rolled back in his head, and his torso started bucking. He felt the familiar tickle of foam at his mouth. That was when he lost his sense of feeling, something that happened each time. He tried to open his mouth to tell them to hurry up and restrain him before he killed somebody, but he didn't know where his mouth was anymore. He didn't know where anything was anymore. He couldn't see or hear. All he knew was that his body was moving uncontrollably, and he couldn't stop himself.

It seemed like hours later, but it was probably only a few minutes, when he came back into himself. He opened his eyes blearily to see the faces of Captain Kyoraku and Lieutenant Ise looking grimly down at him. There was a pressure on his arms and legs, and he looked down to see that they were holding him down on the floor…_with their bare hands?_

'Porro bent his neck and wiped his mouth on his shoulder. "Thank you," he muttered, and he felt them let go of him.

"What was that?" demanded Lieutenant Ise.

"It was _him_," said the captain grimly. "Remember, Szayelaporro Granz represented madness. He used his own brother Yylfort just to test Lieutenant Abarai's spiritual pressure. He was a sick, sadistic man. That was probably him emerging a little." He stood and adjusted his hat. "I just don't know," he said. "I think I should talk to Ukitake, and see what he says. While I do that, Nanao, why don't you order some food for the octava? I imagine he's hungry, no?"

"Yes," 'Porro said, feeling mortified.

"There you have it. Please do that now, Nanao." The captain reached inside his coat and pulled out a metal device. 'Porro's eyes widened, itching to see what it was, but the captain walked out before he could.

Lieutenant Ise stood as well, pressing a button. Then she gave 'Porro a hand up.

"How long did that one last?" he asked her.

"An hour," she said. Seeing his surprised expression, she said, "Have you had many of these before?"

"Yes," said 'Porro. "But usually they only last a couple of minutes.

"The reishi in the Soul Society is probably affecting it," she said, pushing up her glasses. "Come in," she said a moment later, responding to a knock on the door. It was pushed open by a man in a white robe, who then pulled a cart laden with food with him.

"Dinner for the octava," he said, bowing, and then left. Lieutenant Ise put the dishes on the table in the room, which Porro noticed had a large, splintery looking hole in the center of it.

"Did I do that?" he asked, pointing.

"Yes," she said, "before the captain and I restrained you. Enjoy your meal," she said, and left him to eat.

He had just finished when Captain Kyoraku walked back into the room, Lieutenant Ise at his shoulder. "Hey, octava," he said. "How was the meal?"

"Splendid," said 'Porro.

"That's good," said Captain Kyoraku. "Ukitake asked me to bring you over. Sorry to do this so soon after you've eaten. Please don't throw up on my beautiful pink coat."

"Would you like me to take him, sir?" asked Lieutenant Ise.

"I think I can handle it," said the captain. "Hop on, Szayelaporro." He turned around, kneeling, and 'Porro climbed uneasily onto his back, clasping his hands around the man's neck.

"Ready?" said the captain. Before he gave 'Porro a chance to answer, the most bizarre thing happened. It seemed like they were moving at light speed through a tunnel where all the colors and sounds blended into a shrieking gray mass. Instead of wanting to throw up, like the captain had predicted, 'Porro clasped one arm tightly around his neck and grasped his glasses firmly in his other, looking back behind him. Seeing the same thing, he gave a delighted cackle.

What was this marvelous thing? How he wished he'd brought his equipment so that he could study it! It seemed so unearthly and magical. But as soon as he started to try to analyze it, the captain stopped in front of a building, and 'Porro slumped dejectedly on his shoulder.

"That bad, eh, kid?" said the captain as he patted his shoulder, obviously mistaking 'Porro's disappointment for motion sickness. "Don't worry, it'll pass momentarily. Now let's go –"

He stopped. 'Porro saw a momentary blur of color before it disappeared. The captain scratched his head. "Huh. Wonder who that was," he said. He let go of 'Porro, who slid to the ground, limbs all askew. "Coming, kid?" he said, and then looked all around, catching sight of 'Porro on the ground. "Is it really that bad?" he asked.

"No." 'Porro picked himself up off of the ground and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Lead on, Captain."

The captain shrugged. "If you say so, kid," he said, and turned, walking into the building. 'Porro followed him, struggling to put his usual sneer on his face. But without Nnoitra there, he couldn't call it forward, so he gave up.

"Ukitake?" he called once they were inside. They were standing in a hall with wooden doors set into it, and Captain Kyoraku pushed one open. "Uki – Oh."

'Porro edged in next to him, peering around the full pink robe. In the room was a tall, gray-haired woman, her arms clutching something tightly to her chest. Dangling off of one end of her body was something that looked suspiciously like legs. Her back was to the door, but she was talking to a man with long white hair and dark eyebrows who 'Porro assumed was Ukitake.

"I don't know what they did to agitate them, but – Oh! Captain Kyoraku?" she said, turning around. Ukitake looked at them too, his expression one of surprise and then understanding.

"Ah, Shunsui. Good, you're here. Rukia, would you mind…?"

"Hai!" someone barked. 'Porro looked around to see a small, dark-haired, violet-eyed woman gesture at him. He looked uncertainly at Captain Kyoraku, but the man gave him a light pat on the back.

"Good luck," said the captain, and walked forward to murmur something to Ukitake, who frowned and nodded. Captain Kyoraku then disappeared, leaving 'Porro with a bunch of strangers.

"Follow me, Szayelaporro Granz," said the woman, and 'Porro started and then scurried after her. She led him into a room, which he was surprised to see was filled with sleeping children. Stepping over a few of them, she gestured to a freshly made bed. "Get in, and goodnight," she whispered.

"Huh? But I'm not –" 'Porro started to protest, and her eyes flared. Angrily, she pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for him to be quiet, and pointed to the bed again. 'Porro had a feeling that Nnoitra would not like this woman at all.

He sighed and gave up, crawling into the bed. It was surprisingly comfortable, but he wasn't tired. He lay awake for a long time, staring up at the ceiling. About five minutes later, the door opened again, and another child walked in. 'Porro saw spikes – _Zommari Rureaux, _he thought to himself. Zommari settled into another bed, and instantly fell asleep.

'Porro returned to staring at the ceiling. Finally, and he didn't know when, but he slowly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>NOVENTA ESPADA<p>

_-Aaroniero Arruruerie-_

Aaroniero was a shrimp of a kid. Seriously. He was small and thin and sickly-looking; his skin was pale and loose fitting, his eyes bruise-colored and set deep into his skull, his head bald. He'd never been able to grow hair. His head was round, his mouth stretched too wide. Altogether he wasn't very good-looking, but that was okay. With a name like Aaroniero Arruruerie, he didn't really expect much from his life.

Aaroniero had a secret. A big one. He heard voices. Well, just one voice, really. It was high-pitched, squeaky, and feminine; he heard it all the time, every day. He didn't know her name (he'd begun to refer to the voice as a she) but he'd been hearing her since before he could even remember. He knew this wasn't normal, but he also knew that nothing about him was normal. He was an abnormal kid. And the voice was just another abnormal thing about him.

He'd brought her up once, when he was about six. To his mom. She'd looked at him oddly and said she was just his imagination. Aaroniero had known better than to bring her up again. Weak and friendless as he was, he found solace in her obnoxious voice constantly whispering in his ear. He knew a lot about her. She didn't like the sun, so he stayed inside, not going out at all if he could help it. She loved learning. It was her passion, so he read a lot. He taught himself to read at a young age to please her. She was very greedy. She wanted everything for herself. She scared Aaroniero a little bit. It had crossed his mind once or twice that she might try and take over his body and soul and manipulate him to her will. But she was just a voice whispering in the back of Aaroniero's head. Nothing more. She couldn't take anyone over.

So he talked to her. They had long conversations with each other about nothing in particular. He used to ask her who she was, but this would result in her staying silent for hours - sometimes even days - until he apologized. He couldn't imagine life without her. He couldn't imagine what other people's minds were like without the tiny voice.

[Pay attention,] she said now. [Your lieutenant is looking this way.]

His head snapped around to see his lieutenant heading over to him, his bristly black hair and tattoos giving him a dangerous look. But his face was smiling. Aaroniero gave his wide smile back.

[I love those tattoos,] she said. [Especially the 69 one.]

_Why so?_

[You wouldn't understand.]

She said that a lot. _You wouldn't understand_. What he didn't know was how she could know if he didn't, seeing as how they shared a brain and all.

"Hey, kid," said his lieutenant. "You're Aaroniero Arruruerie, right? I'm Shûhei Hisagi, ninth lieutenant. Here in the Soul Society we do things a bit differently than you did in Hueco Mundo - our assigned squad number has nothing to do with how powerful we are. So even though I'm the ninth lieutenant, it doesn't mean I'm the ninth most powerful. Get it?"

Aaroniero didn't get it at all. He shook his head. Hisagi looked disappointed. "Well, I guess honesty's always good. Excuse me," he said for a moment, pulling out a ringing cell phone from his robe and putting it to his ear.

"Yes, Izuru." Pause. "No, I'm with my Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie, number nine. Executed by Rukia Kuchiki. No, I can't leave him. Who do you have? Number three? Lemme see, that's...Halibel, executed by Sôsuke Aizen, right. Okay, I'll bring Aaroniero by. See you in a few." He closed his phone with a snap and tucked it in his robes, smiling at Aaroniero.

"Soul pagers, you know," he said. Aaroniero didn't, so he didn't say anything. Again, Hisagi looked disappointed, but he shook his head. "No matter. Let's go."

[He seems awfully full of himself,] she commented.

_Not right now_, Aaroniero told her. _Be quiet for a moment. I need to figure out what's going on._

She retreated, sulking, into the back of his mind. Hisagi turned to him, grinning, and made a thumbs up. "Let's go see Izuru and Tia Halibel, shall we?"

He offered his arm to the pale boy, who took it gingerly. In a second he was in a tunnel of sound and color, being pressed from all angles. She was screaming in his brain, her tinny voice echoing off his skull.

As soon as it was over, he massaged his brain. _Ow. Thanks. Now I've got a headache._

[NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!] she yelled at him. [NEVER!]

_Okay, okay! I won't if I can help it, _he said. _I'm a prisoner here, and don't you forget it. If you don't like how we're treated you can leave if you want._ Not that he wanted her to leave. He didn't think he'd be able to bear it if she did.

He must have made a noise, because Hisagi was looking at him oddly. Then the older man shrugged and said, "Well, ready to go, kid?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned and went inside the building, leaving Aaroniero no choice but to follow.

[You have a choice. You could make a run for it.]

_Like they wouldn't catch me right away,_ Aaroniero thought crossly. _You're just still mad because of that Apparation-type thing._

Without waiting for her answer, he caught up to Hisagi and entered the room next to him. Inside was a blond man with his hair covering one eye and slicked into points. One eye showed, and it was droopy and teal. He was sitting at a desk, his head bent over some work. Seated opposite him was another blond person, this one a girl. Her hair was cut raggedly, like she'd done it herself with safety scissors, and she'd missed a few strands entirely. Her collar was pulled up over her face, and her skin was mahogany, making her dark blue eyes and thick blond eyelashes look unnatural.

"'Sup, Izuru?" grinned Hisagi. Then he saw what his friend was doing and frowned. "Really? _Really?_ You're doing paperwork with this cutie-pie sitting right here in front of you? Gosh, you must be bored, sweet thing! Which one are you?"

Mr. Izuru looked up with a bored expression. "We just discussed this not thirty minutes ago. How did you possibly forget?"

"Oh, right! Tia Halibel. Tercera Espada, executed by Sôsuke Aizen, sole female of the Espada."

"If you don't count Lilinette Gingerbuck."

"I…I do! Wait. I do? No, that doesn't make sense. If Lilinette was a Fracción, then why would she have come back? Hmm…that's a really good –"

"Okay, we get it, Shûhei. Stop analyzing the poor girls. It's kind of creepy."

"Ooh, Shûhei, not being too weird, are we?" a flirtatious voice called.

Both men looked up with wide eyes. Aaroniero looked around behind him. A redheaded woman was standing in the doorway with blue eyes and a wide smile. One finger was hooked in the collar of a pale boy with wide, startling emerald green eyes.

"Oh, hi, Rangiku!" Hisagi said happily. "What're you doing here?"

She tossed her hair with a smirk, her fingers lingering behind her neck. "Well, I was waiting for you at your office, Shûhei," she said in a slow voice. "I needed to discuss…something…with you."

[What a slut!] she exclaimed.

_What's a slut?_

[You wouldn't understand.]

Hisagi's eyes widened, and he clapped a hand to his nose. When nothing happened, he drew his hand away from his face, looking relieved. Mr. Izuru rolled his eyes.

Ms. Rangiku pouted. "But since you weren't there, I obviously couldn't talk to you. I was on my way over here when I was stopped and given these. Can you imagine? They wanted me to bring something to you like a slave! But I did it, out of the goodness of my heart."

She patted her heart, although it was no doubt hidden under the extravagant layers over it. Hisagi put a hand to his nose again, but again, nothing happened. Then Ms. Rangiku tossed a white package to each of the men, who curiously opened them and drew out white garments.

"Ooh, they're the Espada costumes," said Mr. Izuru, sounding interested for once.

"Cool!" said Hisagi. "What are we supposed to do with them?"

There was a long and awkward silence. Mr. Izuru rolled his eyes again, looking exasperated.

"Really, Shûhei?" he said.

[Stupid man,] she commented.

"This is what you're supposed to do!" Ms. Rangiku giggled, and yanked her hand forward. He finger attached to the pale boy's collar made him fall forward as well, and Aaroniero could see what he was wearing for the first time.

It looked like an elaborate white tuxedo. Long coattails fell to his ankles, and his legs were clothed in loose white pants. A thick black belt covered his stomach that would be left exposed otherwise. His hair looked slightly damp, but Aaroniero didn't think that had anything to do with the costume. If he had to guess, by the way the kid's posture seemed to be leaning away from the woman but his face remained expressionless, he'd say this was probably Ulquiorra, the kid whose brother was the redheaded retard.

"You mean they have to wear these? Like they used to?" Hisagi frowned. "Who commissioned this? Whoever it was is a total moron. Are they _trying_ to make the Espada remember? I thought that that _wasn't_ the point."

"It was Captain Kurotsuchi, apparently," Ms. Rangiku said, looking slightly serious for once. "He said he didn't like the World of the Living clothes. So he had Nemu whip up a bunch of these."

"She's fast," Mr. Izuru commented.

"She's, like, half robot," Ms. Rangiku said, rolling her eyes. Aaroniero noticed that they were the color of ice, and very very pretty. "Anyway, let your Espada put these on. Er…if you think Halibel's will fit. She's shaped…differently than she used to be, if you catch my drift."

"They're all shaped differently," said Mr. Izuru.

"Yeah, but –"

"There's a difference between a man with a glass tube for a head and this little guy," Mr. Izuru said, gesturing at Aaroniero. All three kids looked at each other, confusion etched on their faces. _A glass tube? For a head? Is that even possible? _Aaroniero wondered. _And me?_

[Yes, you.] She sounded angry. [So that's why we're here.]

_You know? Well, then, what did we do?_

[I…I shouldn't tell you.]

_What? Tell me now!_

But like she did whenever he asked where she had come from, she retreated and refused to answer.

Ms. Rangiku sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Okay. Point taken. I'm sure Nemu adjusted it to fit her…smoother body."

There was a loud choking sound. Everyone looked at Hisagi, who had a hand pressed to his nose again. This time blood was spurting from between his fingers and dripping down his arm. Ms. Rangiku quickly snatched the white bundle from his arms before any of the crimson liquid could get on the fabric.

"He must have a sensitive nose," Aaroniero said loudly. "Don't worry, Mr. Shûhei. I get nosebleeds all the time."

"Heh, I think you probably get a different kind," Ms. Rangiku.

"Then what kind does he get?" Aaroniero asked, confused.

[Shut up, you stupid boy! Don't ask about things you don't want to know!]

_Huh? But I_ do_ want to know!_

"Look, how about you two go put these on?" Ms. Rangiku said weakly. Then she brightened. "Ulqui darling, why don't you go with them?"

So it _was_ Ulquiorra. He made an expression of disgust. "I've told you. Do not address me by that vulgar name."

Ms. Rangiku squealed. "Aw, he's so cute! Go along, you three. Bathrooms are just down the hall." She shoved all three out of the door, and, stumbling, they made their ways to the bathroom.

Hallie split off into the girl's room while Aaroniero took Ulquiorra into the boy's. The latter leaned against the sinks to wait while the former locked himself in the stall and hesitantly unwrapped the package.

_How do I put this thing on? _he thought to himself. But of course his thoughts were never private.

[It's a bunch of separate pieces,] she said. [You don't put it all on at the same time.]

_How do you know?_

She didn't answer.

Sighing, he donned the costume. Looking up at the wavy piece above his head, he couldn't help but feel like it was meant for someone with a…well, a slightly larger head.

[That's because it was.]

_Huh?_

[Stop asking questions!] she almost yelled at him. [Just go out there. I'm sure Ulquiorra's waiting for you.]

He sighed and did as she said.

"It feels like it was made for someone with a slightly larger head," he commented to Ulquiorra, who turned. He fidgeted in the other boy's presence.

"Yeah. Let's go meet Hallie. She is probably wait –"

"Huh?"

Aaroniero jumped at the unexpected voices. Looking up, he saw that the doorway was now crowded full of men wearing black robes, all with puzzled expressions on their faces.  
>[Oh no.]<p>

"Who're these princely maggots?" the lead one asked.

"They look like the kid Espada to me," another one growled.

"Oh…what a _find!"_ the lead one smiled, and suddenly the entire hoard of them were in the bathroom all at once. Aaroniero pressed up against the sinks, his body shaking. He wasn't even aware of the other boy doing the same thing next to him.

"Looky _here_. We got our hands on some _Espada!_ What'cha gonna do, you little beasts? Go ahead and cero us to death!"

Ulquiorra looked at Aaroniero, confused. _What? Cero?_

[Shut up and pay attention to them or else they'll kill you!] she moaned. [Oh, Glotonería, where are you when I need you?]

"Go ahead!" they shouted. "You better get us before we get you, heh."

Ulquiorra shook his head slowly, but Aaroniero couldn't even move. _Glotonería?_

"Okay, then," said the lead one, and all of a sudden Aaroniero's skull had connected with the floor, cracking painfully on the hard surface. His face instantly screwed up in pain, and she howled. [Owww!]

There was a _chink_ sound as the lead one drew his sword. "It's survival of the fittest around here, ya know," he sniggered.

The rest of them drew their swords and pointed them at Ulquiorra and Aaroniero's necks. Aaroniero started shaking and whimpering. She was yelling at him to do something, _anything_, in his mind, but he was so scared…

"Wow. For Espada you two are pretty weak," sneered one man.

"I can't believe we could take them so easily," sneered another.

"Let's just kill 'em now."

"Save the Central 46 some time in the morning."

"We'll be heroes!"

"Two birds with one stone!"

Aaroniero started struggling – kicking and yelling. Next to him, Ulquiorra held still. The men drew their arms back, cackling madly.

_They were going to die._

"HEY!"

All the men froze, turning with expressions that betrayed their obvious lack of intelligence. The blond girl - Hallie - was standing there in the doorway, dressed in loose pants that showed the majority of her thigh and a half-length, long-sleeved jacket that showed off her torso and covered the bottom half of her face. Aaroniero felt a surge of relief – someone was here, they were saved…

"What are you…doing?" she demanded, her voice raspy and slow from disuse.

Aaroniero's heart dropped. _Maybe not. _He couldn't see the expressions on the faces of the men, but he could hear the delight in their voices. "Well, looky here!" cried one of the men. "Another Espada fell right into our hands. It must be my lucky day!"

"It's not!" Hallie growled, and in the face of all the men, she pulled down the collar of her jacket.

Aaroniero froze at Hallie's face as the men murmured in shock and confusion. But he didn't take long to recover - he screamed. Loudly. In an instant Mr. Izuru was there and Hallie was fixing her collar to hide the mess that was her face.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON HERE?" Mr. Izuru yelled at his men.

"Er…nothing, sir! We was just having a little fun with the kiddos!" one cried out.

"Hm. Fifteen men versus two five year olds and an eight year old?" Mr. Izuru snarled. "That hardly qualifies as "fun"! What do you think we are, Squad Eleven? I will not tolerate this disgusting behavior. Get the hell out of this bathroom!"

The men gave a little jump and rushed past Mr. Izuru, making a break for the hall and away from their dangerous lieutenant. Mr. Izuru made his way in, holding out his hand to Aaroniero to help him up. Aaroniero accepted it gratefully. In his mind, she breathed a sigh of relief.

[Looks like we didn't need Glotonería after all,] she said.

_What the heck is Glotonería? _he demanded, but she didn't answer.

"Let's go," Mr. Kira said harshly, but just then Ms. Rangiku flounced into the bathroom, her eyes wide.

"Ulqui darling!" she exclaimed, and threw her arms around Ulquiorra. "Are you okay, my dear boy? Oh, my goodness. I can't believe they would do that!"

"Well, they did," Mr. Kira said darkly. "Rangiku, you need to back away from that Espada."

"Yes, please do," Ulquiorra said, his voice sounding muffled.

"They could be dangerous," Mr. Izuru added.

"Oh, please," Ms. Rangiku scoffed. "They're just as harmful as Sora Kurosaki." But she still withdrew her arms from Ulquiorra and pulled away. Ulquiorra cleared his throat and somehow managed to regain his composure, impressing Aaroniero to a high degree.

"See, if that was the old Ulquiorra, he would have Doom Blasted you to ashes," said Hisagi, coming in.

"Not funny," Ms. Rangiku said, crossing her arms under her large bosom.

"They called it Cero," Mr. Izuru muttered.

"Anyway, are you all ready to go?" Hisagi said, making a thumbs up.

"Where are we going?" Aaroniero asked.

"We're going drinking!" exclaimed Ms. Rangiku, also flashing a thumbs up. "You ready?"

Inside his mind, he heard her groan loudly. [Oh, great,] she said. [Going drinking with the slut.]

_Be nice. It'll be fun._

**!**

"This is really boring," Aaroniero said.

[Told you.]

Neither of the other two responded – not to _her_, of course, but to Aaroniero's comment. They were sitting on a bench outside of a large bar. Undeterred by their responsibilities, the three lieutenants had set them down on a bench outside and then went in to party. Ms. Rangiku had thought it would be cute to tie them to the legs of the benches like they were dogs, making _her_ yell in outrage. Now, bored and tied down with the red collars and some rope, the three sat in silence.

"I can't believe them," Aaroniero complained. "I thought they were supposed to pay attention to us. Make sure we don't run away and stuff."

"They did that," Ulquiorra commented, holding up the thick rope that bound them to the bench. It was as thick around as his forefinger and thumb in a circle.

"Yeah, but, like…guard us and stuff, make sure we don't, like, chew through the ropes or anything."

"If you would like to chew though this rope, be my guest," Ulquiorra offered.

"Or if those Squad Three guys show up and try to kill us again," Aaroniero said, fear tingeing his voice. He heard her sigh in exasperation.

"I don't think…they will," Hallie said. "I think…Mr. Kira scared them…away."

[Why does that girl talk so slow?]

_I don't know! _

[And what was up with her face?]

_I don't know. I don't know. Maybe you could take over her mind instead of mine and then you would know, wouldn't you?_

[Maybe I will.] He sensed her sulking in the back of his mind. Running his fingers tiredly over the 9 on his chin and neck, he said, _Please don't. _

[Ah, so now you want me back, do you, Aaroniero?]

_You couldn't leave even if you tried._

It was a test. He didn't know if she could leave or not. He waited anxiously for a moment for her to respond, but instead she just ignored him. Or had she left? Did she get mad at his question and decide to abandon him? Frantically he searched his mind for her, but couldn't find her anywhere.

_Hey! Hey! Come back!_

[I'm right here, dolt.] Her high, scratchy voice sounded tired. [Just…leave me alone for a little while.]

He closed his eyes and was almost asleep when a sudden thought crossed his mind and he asked sleepily,_ Hey...what's Glotonería? _

[Go to sleep, fool,] she said, but she sounded affectionate. He smiled a little and drifted off.

* * *

><p>DECIMA ESPADA<p>

_-Yammy Llargo-_

Yammy was a big kid. Big and slow. He wasn't the brightest knife in the drawer - er, the sharpest crayon in the box - er, the, the...well, you get the picture. But the one thing he did have was size. He was big and intimidating, and because of those things put together, he was generally alone. On the outside looking in. You get the picture - Yammy didn't have too many friends. There weren't a whole lot of five foot eight year olds out there, and Yammy weighed at least one hundred pounds. No one he knew was like that, and no one he knew wanted to be friends with someone like that. So he didn't have many friends.

That changed when he met Lieutenant Kusajishi.

The small girl assigned to him looked to be about his age, maybe a little younger. She was pink, tiny, and very very happy-looking. Whatever he had done to get this small girl instead of an adult like everyone else must have been a very good thing. He felt his luck skyrocket when he saw her and she bared her silly smile at him, her red cheeks lifting and her eyes closing with pleasure. It was the first time anyone had ever looked at him like that.

"Guards, please," she said, her voice high and clear. "You guys are kinda unnecerrary, you know."

"You mean unnecessary?" one of the guards said, offended.

She shrugged. "You said it, not me."

Yammy smiled at her wit. Insulted, the guards pulled their red cords from Yammy's collar and disappeared in a huff. The little girl turned to Yammy and smiled.

"Hi! I'm Yachiru. Yachiru Kusajishi!" She held out her hand, and Yammy took it.

"I'm Yammy Llargo," he said. Yachiru smiled.

"I know!" she said. Yammy closed his fingers around her hand. It was very delicate. He shook as gently as he could.

"How do you know?" he asked.

She shook her head and smiled again. "I can't say! Or else Nana will be mad!" She suddenly let go of him. "Let's go see Kenny!" she said.

"Kenny?" Yammy deflated. Darn it - she had another boy friend. "Who's that?"

"Kenny's Kenny!" she said, and suddenly Yammy felt himself being flung up in the air. He landed hard on his stomach, folded over a small surface. Before he had time to recover, the thing under him jerked into motion. He looked down in fear to see Yachiru running swiftly on the ground, one arm wrapped around Yammy, who had been tossed over her shoulder.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Yammy yelled. "Wait! Pause! What's going on? Put me down before you hurt yourself! And slow down before you kill us!"

"Nah, it's okay!" called Yachiru cheerfully. Her speed picked up, if that was possible. Yammy closed his eyes tightly and held her shoulder with all his strength.

When she stopped, he fell off of her shoulder, rolling painfully onto the ground. He lay there panting for a moment, massaging his upper arm, which he had landed on. Suddenly he froze, sensing something. Opening his eyes, he looked in shock at the huge man looming over him.

"Is this really Yammy? He's so small," said the man.

Yammy would have fallen over in shock, except for the fact that he was already on the floor.

"You're scaring him, Kenny!" Yachiru's voice called. Yammy blinked. _This_ was _Kenny_? No way. Relief momentarily flooded him; Kenny was more like Yachiru's father than a real friend figure, at least…

"Oh. Am I?" The man took a step away, and Yammy slowly sat up. "Sorry 'bout that," said Kenny.

Yammy narrowed his eyes at Kenny uncertainly. The man extended his large hand, grasping Yammy's and pulling him to his feet. Yammy stumbled a little, but Kenny held him until he was stable.

"You good?" he asked.

"Yes." Yammy let go of Kenny and took a step a safe distance away. Didn't want to get crushed too badly by this enormous man. A sudden movement startled him; he looked up to see Yachiru pop up from his shoulder. "Let's go in, boys!" she said cheerfully, and the two boys in question sized each other up for a few moments before Kenny abruptly whirled on his heel and went in, Yachiru hanging like a pink-haired monkey from his shoulder.

Yammy followed. They went inside the building and down a hall. Inside were a ton of black-robed men, all with piercings and shaved heads and eyes that shone with dim intelligence. They all parted before Kenny, bowing and stumbling out of his way. It was clear to Yammy that they all held this man in the highest respect – the biggest, the baddest, the most bloodthirsty man among them. Yammy stuck close to Kenny, and the men that did sneer at the boy didn't try anything. Yammy was safe in the shadow of the man that these warriors considered to be the greatest on earth.

They finally got to a room and went in. It was empty of people, but had a rug, a couch, and a kitchen-like area off to the side with an island counter, a toaster and a mini-fridge. Yachiru leapt off of Kenny's shoulder and bounded into the kitchen, opening the fridge and snatching something out of it, shoving it into her mouth. Yammy's eyes widened – he didn't know that it was physically possible to put that much food into your mouth at once.

"Don' eat too much, Yachiru," Kenny called. He went over and sat on the rug. Yammy stood awkwardly in the entrance until Kenny said, "C'mere, decima."

Yammy went hesitantly to the rug and sat facing the spiky-haired man.

"D'you know how t' arm wrestle?" Kenny asked him.

Yammy looked affronted. "What do you mean, _do I know how to arm wrestle?_ Is the sky blue?" he scoffed. "Everyone can arm wrestle, Kenny."

"She can't," Kenny said, nodding to the kitchen where sounds of Yachiru happily eating could still be heard. "She doesn't get the concept. Whenever I try it with her she thinks she can use her entire body to try and push my arm over. She cheats."

"Wha'? Noh I don'!" Yachiru insisted from the kitchen with her mouth full.

"She does," Kenny muttered. He held out his hand. Yammy clasped it. "Ready, kid?" he asked. "One, two, three!"

Yammy was sure that Kenny would push his hand to the floor instantly, but he managed to hold his own for a few seconds. Then, slowly, Kenny pushed his arm back, down until the back of his hand touched the carpet.

"Wow," said Kenny, letting go. "Yer good, kid. Nice 'n strong. Wanna go again?"

"Sure," said Yammy, grinning despite himself at the captain's praise. Yachiru scampered over to watch, and they clasped hands again. Kenny started counting down, but then someone cleared their throat loudly, and Kenny looked up. Yammy twisted around to see a man with red hair pulled back from his skull like a pineapple and tattoos covering his forehead. He was standing stiffly at attention. Next to him was the blue-haired, blue-eyed kid – Grimm, maybe?

"Captain Zaraki!" the red-haired man said, bowing deeply. Grimm scratched the back of his neck, bored. "I have a favor to ask of you on behalf of Hinamori Momo of Squad Five!"

"Eh? Well, what is it?" Kenny grunted, the smile slowly fading from his face. He released Yammy's hand and stood, his knees level with Yammy's head. The boy looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers sadly.

"Sir, Lieutenant Hinamori has requested that you relieve her of her duties with her Espada."

"Who does she have?"

"The quinta, Nnoitra Gilga."

Kenny laughed, the sound filling Yammy with a strange sensation of bloodlust. "Ha! That little bastard. I'm not surprised she doesn't wan' 'im. He's a feisty one. Yeah, sure, I'll take 'im. Where might I find 'im?"

"They should be at the Squad Five barracks, sir."

Yachiru startled and leaped up from the floor. "Let's go, Kenny!" she squealed, jumping happily onto his back.

"No, Yachiru." He lifted her off and set her on the floor. "I need you t' stay here an' look after th' kid. It'll be a big favor t' me. You aren't coming."

"But, Kenny!" She leaped onto his leg and held tight. "I have to stay with you, Kenny! It's my job!"

"Yachiru! Get off. I'm not gonna ask ya again. Yer gonna stay here with th' Espada. I'll be back in just a minute. Arm wrestle or somethin'. Don' tie him up or anythin'."

"Kenny! !"

Yammy and Yachiru watched as Kenny walked out of the door without her. Yachiru sat down on the floor right where she was, crossing her arms and pushing out her lower lip.

"Are ya really that mad that he left you?" Yammy asked, feeling a little offended.

"Yes," Yachiru pouted. "I don't want to play with stinky old boys. The only boys I like is Kenny, and that's all."

Yammy was at a loss. He reached back and fiddled with his ponytail. "Well, you could play with me, you know, Yachiru."

"I don't wanna."

"We could arm wrestle."

"Ooh!" Yachiru's eyes lit up. "Yeah! Yeah! Kenny _never_ lets me do that. He always says I cheat. But I don't!"

"Okay." Yammy held out his arm. "You have to sit down, though, and put your elbow on the carpet."

"But whyyyy?"

"That's how you play." Yammy gestured for her to sit, and she crossed her legs and did so. He took hold of her delicate hand, trying not to crush it in his fingers. She made a look of intense concentration.

"Three, two, one," she said, and pushed. Yammy didn't push back, simply using his strength to keep their arms vertical. She furrowed her eyebrows, pushing harder. Then she picked up her other arm and added the strength of that one to help her defeat Yammy.

"Hey, that's cheating," he said. "Put your hand down, Yachiru."

"N-no!" she shrieked. "No! I won't!" She heaved her entire body off of the floor and braced her feet against the carpet, pushing with all of her strength against Yammy's immovable arm.

"Yachiru! Cut it out!" Yammy said angrily. "Stop cheating! You're being unfair. I'm not going to play with you if you act like this."

"Fine!" she screamed at him. Before he knew it, she had flung him against a cabinet. _How does she have enough strength to toss me around like a football, and yet can't even move my arm when we arm wrestle? _he wondered to himself as she pulled out a rope.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he asked her.

"Tying you up," she said.

"But why?"

"You said I was cheating!" she exclaimed angrily. "That's not nice!"

"But you _were _cheating," he said.

"No I wasn't!" she cried. _"You_ were the one who was cheating, Yammy. I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was playing fair, and _you_ were cheating."

Yammy knit his eyebrows. "So why are you tying me up, then?"

"'Cos I'm mad at you!" she said, and stepped back. Yammy looked down in surprise. He had been so busy talking to the fiery girl that he hadn't even noticed her working on him. Now he groaned. He was tied so tightly he didn't think he'd ever get out.

But if it made her happy to tie him up, he'd suffer through it for her.

"Now." She stood, and a smile spread across her face. "I've got you all tied up with no place to go," she sang, and scampered over behind the couches toward the kitchenette area. "Hmmm, let's see…what should I have to eat now? Oh, I know, a sweet bun." There was the sound of a drawer opening and closing, and then she scampered back and crouched in front of him.

"Yum," she said, taking a bite. Yammy's eyes fixated on the sweet bun in her hands. Her mouth opened in what seemed to be slow motion, her white teeth sinking into the bread. Yammy's stomach growled audibly.

Yachiru laughed, her mouth full of crumbs. "Ha ha! Are you hungry, Yammy? I bet you – oh!"  
>She stuffed the rest of the bun in her mouth and chewed and swallowed with lightning speed. Then she leaped up from the floor and dashed to the door with a cry of "KENNY!"<p>

There was a sound like a body falling hard to the floor.

"Oh, I remember him!" Yachiru squealed. "This is the one you fought, Kenny! He was pretty good!"

"Shut up, Yachiru!" Kenny's voice said. "I've told you a million times. They don' remember. Where's our Espada?"

"Over there," said Yachiru. Kenny growled and his footsteps sounded, rounding the corner and catching sight of Yammy tied up against the cabinet.

"What?" he exclaimed. "What happened here?"  
>"We arm wrestled…" Yammy said weakly. Kenny raised an eyebrow. "I let her tie me up," Yammy rushed to finish. Kenny nodded and pulled out his sword.<p>

"Hey! What are you –" Yammy started.

"Hold yer breath, kiddo," Kenny said, and the sword whooshed down. Yammy cringed and squeezed his eyes shut, but when the sword never made contact, he opened his eyes and saw that Kenny had cut right through the ropes.

"Kenny!" Yachiru called suddenly, running around the couch as Yammy stood shakily and rubbed his arms to try to get circulation back into them. "Do you have any snacks?"

"Not for you!" he roared. "What did I tell you about tyin' up the Espada?"

"But Kenny…!"

"Hush, you. Go give this to Nnoitra." He handed her a wad of white fabric. "Tell 'im to put it on. And Yammy, you follow me."

Yachiru giggled and ran back around the couch. Yammy followed Kenny into the kitchen, and sat down at one of the high stools on the island. Kenny drew another white package out of his robe, sliding it across the table at Yammy just as Yachiru ran in.

"Kenny, will you make me a snack?" she begged.

Yammy looked at her in awe. The girl had a bottomless stomach. Kenny sighed and pulled out some bread as someone else came into the kitchen.

"Er… What are we supposed to do with these?" the person asked. Yammy looked up with surprise on his face. It was that kid with the long black hair covering one of his eyes, Nnoitra or something.

"Oh, it's you," he said, looking back at the white bundle.

"Put 'em on," Kenny growled, spreading Nutella on toast. "Don' ask questions." He handed the toast to Yachiru, who happily took a bite and chewed with a look of delight. "Now. Bathrooms are that way." He pointed, and Nnoitra and Yammy followed his finger with heavy feet and spinning heads.

Yammy changed silently into his outfit, which consisted of a pair of long white pants, held up by a thick black belt. He then put on a jacket-type top, which was long-sleeved and open at the front. Pulling on his socks and sandals, he left the bathroom and leaned against the wall, waiting for Nnoitra.

When the boy came out, Yammy did a double-take. His outfit was much more complex than Yammy's, with a hood that stretched up high, shoes that curled up and around, even a matching eyepatch. Yammy raised his eyebrows. _No wonder he took so long._ It seemed so fancy and completely unnecessary that he couldn't help but feel a bit superior.

"Let's go," he said abruptly, and turned. Nnoitra followed him back to the kitchen area where Kenny was making Yachiru more toast. He turned when the boys entered the room.

"Want some toast?" he offered, lifting the knife in the air. Yammy followed the chocolate-coated utensil with his eyes and nodded hungrily, the image of Yachiru eating those sweet buns still fresh in his mind.

"Just don' get it on those fancy white uniforms." Kenny pushed two more slices of bread in the toaster. It didn't take Kenny that long to prepare the toast and whip the chocolate onto it. He slid the plates in front of the boys and they both dug in.

"Mm, this is good," Yammy murmured, crunching into his toast. He dragged his finger through the thick nutty chocolate, sucking on his finger and letting the chocolate warm his taste buds..

"So what do you guys want to do?" Kenny leaned on his hands, resting his elbows on the bar where Nnoitra and Yammy were eating. Yachiru hopped up on the table and sat cross-legged on the bar with a huge smile on her face.

"Let's play a board game!" she exclaimed happily.

**!**  
>It was late. Yachiru's board game idea had failed miserably. She was horrible at strategy, and as soon as it became apparent that she was going to lose, she angrily upended the board and stormed off. <em>She just can't stand to lose, <em>Yammy thought sleepily.

He was lying on a couch, trying hard not to fall asleep. Next to him, Nnoitra was doing the same thing, his one eye fluttering and his weird honeycomb mouth grimacing whenever he woke up. Kenny was talking quietly on a phone behind them, and they heard a snapping sound. A few seconds later, he appeared in front of them. Yammy sat up a little straighter.

"We don' have room for you two t' go down for the night," he said, "an' Ukitake said he'd take ya. So, hop on. Yachiru's asleep already – just be quiet. I don' wanna have t' wake 'er up and peel 'er off me because you two are makin' a racket."

He turned around, and Nnoitra climbed sleepily onto his back. Yammy clambered up beside the boy, the two easily sharing space on Kenny's broad back. In a second, Kenny was up and running, and the rocking of his gait easily put Yammy to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Whew. <strong>

**I am _never_ doing that again.**

**I hope I don't have to ask you to review – just doing it would be nice, ya…Okay. I'mma post this now. Love you all, and thank you very much.**

**TCWTH**


	8. Boy Meets Himself

**A/N: Yo, me backsta :) Been on too much Reddit…lol. I'll stop there. At last! A normal chapter! Haha, for once it's under thirty thousand words~ joking. Hey guys, check out my new oneshot! #shamelessself-advertising It's called "her hair reminds me of you" so read it! ya. But only if you like the Kuchiki's new haircuts! If you don't, then don't bother.**

**Disclaimer: Disclaimed. No me gusta! (I'm a little hyper so watch out – )**

"OUCH!"

Ulquiorra was jerked awake by a loud yelp of pain. He opened his eyes blearily - or at least that was the plan. One eye was stuck. He frowned and put a hand to his face, but instead of feeling his smooth skin, he only felt cloth.

What?

"Hey! Apologize this instant!"

Curious, Ulquiorra looked up at the voice to see an angry looking Barragan Luisenbarn sitting up on his futon and glaring at an equally angry looking Lilinette, who was standing up next to one of the two raised beds in the room and was arguing back at Barragan with equal fire.

_Where am I? How did I get here?_ he wondered.

"I think _you_ should be the one apologizing," Lilinette snapped. "After all, _you_ woke everyone up!"

"Only because you stepped on my hand!"

"Only because you were lying all spread out on the floor!"

Ulquiorra looked around him. He was lying on a small futon on the floor. More beds were scattered around him, and he recognized the forms of the other children. He knit his eyebrows. Hadn't they all gone to different places?

"Ohhh..." Grimm moaned, sitting up and clutching his head. "My head hurts..."

"Lilinette," someone moaned. "Please shut up."

"Be quiet, Starrk!" she spat at the other raised bed. "No one cares!"

"Ulquiorra, are you all right?" Aaroniero asked.

Silence fell in the room as everyone's head swiveled towards Ulquiorra. He looked up, puzzled, and saw identical masks of horror on everyone's faces.

"Oh, my God," Lilinette croaked.

"I didn't think...it was that...bad," Hallie murmured.

"What? What is it?" Ulquiorra inquired, rolling his eye around in an effort to try and see. "What happened?"

No one spoke.

It was awkward for a moment, the silence broken by the door opening and a white-haired man poking his head in. His face relaxed in relief. "Oh, good, you're all awake," he said, smiling. "Morning, kiddos."

"Good morning, Captain Ukitake," Starrk said respectfully.

"How did you all sleep?" said the old man cheerfully.

"Terribly," Barragan fumed. "Why did they get to sleep on the beds? I don't deserve to sleep on a _futon. _And on the floor, too."

"That's nice," Ukitake beamed. "Well. Who's ready for some breakfast?"

Everyone climbed out of bed and stopped once they were all standing, looking at each other in surprise. Ulquiorra knew that he, Hallie, and Aaroniero had all had white costumes, but he wasn't expecting everyone to have them. Zommari was even looking at his own one like he'd never seen it before.

Ukitake did a double-take. "Wow," he murmured. "It's like having all the Espada in my house."

They all followed him out of the room after that; settling into seats around a table. Ulquiorra was at one end, across from Grimm, who was still holding his head and appeared to be in intense pain. Next to him was the dark, stoic Zommari, and next to Ulquiorra was Starrk, who appeared to be still half-asleep in his chair.

He looked down the table. Hallie was three seats down from him, between Nnoitra and Aaroniero. She lifted a hand and waved to him, and he nodded back at her. Lilinette was on the other side of Aaroniero, squished up against Yammy, who didn't really seem to notice. 'Porro sat across from Nnoitra, lounging in his chair, and Barragan, next to him and Yammy, looked angry that breakfast had yet to be served.

"Hungry, kids?" Ukitake called, and a big cart was wheeled in. Ulquiorra gaped at the food set in front of him. He hadn't eaten the night before, but he was used to it. But this breakfast could keep him going for two or three days, he knew. He didn't quite know where to start.

"Ulquiorra?" someone called. He looked up to see a brown haired woman with big gray eyes standing next to him. "Can you come here, please?"

He nodded and slid off his chair, padding after her a little ways away from the table. She knelt and pulled out a blue box, opening the lid. Ulquiorra watched her silently, feeling a bit apprehensive.

"I'm Kotetsu Kiyone," the woman said. "My sister Isane - I think you've met her, right?" When Ulquiorra nodded, she continued. "Well, since my sister is the lieutenant of squad 4, I have some medical knowledge. The captain asked me to fix you up this morning."

Suddenly it all came flooding back to him. The squad 3 members. The green dome. Her sister telling him that his left eye would probably be blind for the rest of his life.

"Oh," he managed.

Kiyone smiled sympathetically. "Yes. Okay." She reached for his head, pulling out the end of the bandage and slowly unwrapping it. He was surprised to see how long it was; her arm was reaching backwards by the time the end slithered free.

Kiyone winced.

"What?" he asked her.

"Hold still," she said. "I don't want to hurt you on accident."

Ulquiorra froze. Kiyone reached into her blue box and pulled out a white packet, which she ripped open. Pulling out a damp white cloth, she shook it out and reached for Ulquiorra's face. He didn't dare breathe.

The second the cloth touched him, he let out a hiss.

"Sorry, I should have warned you - it's just a general antiseptic," she said. "But it will sting a little."

_Do not concern yourself with my physical well-being. The regenerative abilities I possess should activate momentarily._

Stunned by the sudden and confusing thought, Ulquiorra forgot the pain momentarily and allowed her to clean his eye. She then pulled the cloth down his cheek, and then looked at it, frustrated.

"It's not going away," she muttered.

"What is not going away?" he asked her.

"You have a stain on your face -" She stopped, looking irritated. "It's not coming off."

"What do you mean, a stain?" Worried, he tried looking down at his face. It didn't work. "Is it bad?"

"No, no, of course not," Kiyone assured him. "Okay. Hold still. I need to rewrap your head, and then clean the cut on your chest before you can eat. Sorry, buddy."

"Do not apologize, there is no need," he murmured.

She looked startled. "Oh, of course," she said quietly, and unrolled some bandage. Pushing the end against the back of his head, she quickly wrapped it crossways over his forehead so that it covered one eye but not the other.

"Can you take off your shirt?"

Embarrassed, Ulquiorra nodded and shrugged out of his long white coat, letting it crumple on the floor. Hearing a snort from behind him, he turned to see Grimm covering his mouth with his hand.

"What amuses you?" he asked Grimm coldly. _Trash._

"You're just as white under your clothes as you are outside of 'em," Grimm giggled.

"Oh, yeah?" Ulquiorra turned all the way around and heard a gasp. He looked down. The bandage covering his chest didn't cover either of the marks – the spiky 4 over his left chest, or the circular birthmark centered just under his collarbone.

"What?" he said, annoyed.

"Ulquiorra." Kiyone's gentle voice made him turn back around. She reached for the bandage and began to slowly unwind it from his body. With each round, the cloth became a darker shade of red, until she got to the last layer and the cloth was still damp with his blood.

She shook her head. "This is worse than I thought," she said. Ulquiorra was about to look, but she tilted his head back up. "Don't look. I don't want to scare you."

Ulquiorra shivered and looked at the ceiling. It hurt a lot. He knew that most kids would be crying right now; but he held it in. He held his breath as Kiyone poked and prodded; finally she pulled out her bandages and wrapped him back up tightly with them.

"You can go eat," she said to him. "Just don't move too suddenly; you'll reopen it."

Ulquiorra nodded to show that he understood and went back to eat breakfast. He was hungry, and there was food available. He wasn't going to waste it. He started shoving food into his mouth like someone would swoop down and take it all before he had a chance to finish, and thusly had to eat all that he could.

"Hey, kiddos," said Ukitake, coming back into the room. This time he didn't look so happy. "I think it's time we go."

"Go where?" Lilinette asked.

"Go to your hearing," Ukitake said grimly.

"Hearing?" Nnoitra sputtered.

"What does that mean?" Grimm asked with a frown.

"Why?" Starrk demanded.

"I can't explain now, we don't have time," Ukitake said. "I need you all to behave and follow me. I trust you to do that much. Don't prove me wrong."

Ulquiorra slid obediently off of his chair, getting in line with the others. Grimm was standing next to him. Ukitake pulled open the door and they left, all in a line like ducks.

"My head hurts," Grimm said for the thousandth time.

"You have said," Ulquiorra said. "Why does it hurt so badly?"

"That stupid Renji. He couldn't handle my skills," Grimm bragged. "I almost beat him at his little sparring game. He got man and whacked me over the head with a stick." He shrugged. "He started talking to me like there was someone else named Grimmjow Jeagerjaques with us. It was confusing, but –" He stopped and thrust his chest out proudly. "I survived his jealous attack."

Ulquiorra suppressed the desire to roll his eyes. "That must have made you feel very masculine and proud."

"It did." Grimm strutted for a few feet. Then he calmed and said, "Ulquiorra?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you think we're here?"

Ulquiorra looked at his blue-haired friend. The white rectangle on his cheek seemed to glisten in the sunlight. Grimm caught him looking and frowned, so Ulquiorra looked away.

"I don't know," he said softly.

"Hey, are you crying?" Grimm barked.

"What? No!" Ulquiorra insisted. "Why would you say that?"

"You have tears coming out of your eyes."

"What? I do?" Confused, Ulquiorra put a finger under his eye. He didn't feel anything. "Where?"

"Right there." Grimm reached out and ran a finger down Ulquiorra's cheek. "And you got it on this side too. I think. I see it comin' out of the bandage."

"I'm not crying," Ulquiorra insisted.

"They're green tears comin' out your eyes. Either you're crying or you were crying after drinking too much food coloring and it stained your cheeks real bad."

_"You have a stain on your face -" She stopped, looking irritated. "It's not coming off."_

Uh oh.

Before Ulquiorra had a chance to ask Grimm to try to get it off by any means possible, Ukitake stopped the kids. Counting the heads, he nodded and then pushed open the doors of the building before him.

The kids followed him. Inside, the room was white and spotless, like a lobby. A woman was sitting behind the desk, and she looked up at their approach, pushing glasses daintily up her nose.

"The Espada," Ukitake told her grimly, and she nodded without batting an eyelash. Entering something into her computer, she waved them in.

"The last case is running a bit over, so you may be asked to wait," she said, and Ukitake nodded, leading them down the hall.

Five steps in, and suddenly it wasn't quite as bright and cheery anymore. The walls were dark wood, and only a few yellow lights flickered overhead, each one meters and meters apart. Ulquiorra shivered apprehensively.

Ukitake stopped them outside a door. It was big, wide, wooden; imposing. "You can sit down," he said kindly. "It looks like it'll be a while."

Ulquiorra put his back against the wall and slid down it, feeling like his legs would collapse if he tried to stand up. Almost like they were made of jelly. Or lead. His stomach was feeling queasy; he was wishing he hadn't eaten so much food. Next to him, Grimm had his arms folded across his midsection; his forehead was so sweaty that it was literally wet. Hallie was sitting on his other side; her expression was mostly hidden as usual, but her thick blond eyelashes were pressed so tightly against her cheekbones that Ulquiorra thought it looked like she was trying to meld them together. Lilinette was curled into her brother's side, and Starrk's arm was around her. Ulquiorra found it amazing that even in a situation like this Starrk could manage to sleep.

"The Espada may enter!"

Ukitake looked grave. He gestured for the children to stand. Frightened and more confused than ever, they did so; Ulquiorra creaked to his feet and stood, trying not to shake. When Hallie slid her hand into his, he didn't drop it; instead, he held tight.

The door was opened. Ukitake lead them inside. Lilinette was holding so tightly to her brother's arm it was as if she was drowning and he was her only source of buoyancy. Ulquiorra's expression was blank; but on the inside, his heart was thumping so loudly he was surprised no one else could hear it.

Inside the courtroom, it was dark. The walls were circular and layered, on each layer was a person whose face was hidden behind a screen with a number on it. Ulquiorra saw up to 46, but no higher. The floor was small, round in shape, with a spotlight shining on it. They all filed in and pressed back to back in a circular shape; Hallie squeezing his hand as they looked up at the figures above them.

"These are the children convicted of being Espada!" announced a judge. His voice rang throughout the room; Ulquiorra winced at the noise. "Do you have anything to say for yourselves?"

"Sir!" called Ukitake, stepping forward. "The children are -"

"Silence!" commanded the judge. "I have not called forth the witnesses. Captain, remove yourself from the room until I have called you forward."

Ukitake looked for a moment like he was about to say something. Then, biting his tongue, he nodded sharply and left the room.

The door creaked closed ominously behind him.

"Now," continued the judge. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Sir," said Starrk, stepping forward. There was a murmur around the room; clearly, the judges hadn't been expecting any of them to speak up. "Hello. I'm Coyote Starrk. I'm ten years old, and I go to Karakura Elementary with my sister Lilinette. All of these guys do as well. We're all just normal kids. I don't understand what we're doing here and none of the rest of us do either. I swear, we're innocent of whatever crime you're accusing us of."

A judge's harsh laugh rang out across the room. "Innocent? Innocent?" he barked. "What mean you, Espada?"

"I mean that we didn't do it!" Starrk called. "So can we just go home?"

"It's not a matter of _doing,"_ a judge said. "It's a matter of being."

"I don't understand," Starrk said.

"Ten years ago a man called Aizen Sôsuke turned traitor against Soul Society. He escaped to a world called Hueco Mundo and built up an army of Arrancar. The top ten of those Arrancar were known as the Espada. They were powerful and dangerous. All of them were killed, but it came with prices. We cannot afford to have the Espada back again."

"Okay, well, what does that have to do with us?" Starrk demanded.

"You are the Espada."

Silence fell across the room. Ulquiorra's heart was beating harder than ever. _You are the Espada. You are the Espada. You are the Espada. You are the Espada._

"I'm sorry?" 'Porro said. "I must have misheard you. I thought I heard you say that we're the Espada."

"You did not mishear me," the judge said. "The eleven children standing before us, the Central of 46, are the Espada."

"But...doesn't Espada...mean ten...blades?" Hallie cranked out. "There...are eleven...of us."

The judge sounded irritated. "If you must know," he said.

"This is not necessary!" another judge exclaimed.

"Yes, it is," argued yet another. "The convicted has the right to know every detail of his sentence. The video, please."

The lights went down in the room. From nowhere rolled a large screen, suspended from somewhere too high for the children to see. On it appeared a video, frozen and blurry; but when it started, the image was high resolution and clear.

"First we have the decimo Espada, Yammy Llargo," said a judge with a high, clear voice. "He was unique in that his resurreción propelled him from decimo to cero - or ten to zero, the most powerful of the Espada. The aspect of death he represented was rage."

On screen it showed a huge man. It sure did look like Yammy, except for he had a weird mask-like thing covering his chin, right where the wrinkled spot was on the real Yammy. The Yammy on screen was fighting a girl that looked strangely like Sensei, tossing her around like she was nothing. But what caught Ulquiorra's eye was the man standing in the background - he had a white uniform, black hair, and wide, detached emerald eyes. He looked a lot like - but no, it wasn't possible.

"Yammy possessed a power called _Ira_," the judge continued as the camera shifted. Now it showed a truly giant man; his back flowed at a 90 degree angle, ending in a hundred legs, caterpillar-like. _"Ira_ made him grow to be a hundred times larger than any man. He was killed by Kuchiki Byakuya and Zaraki Kenpachi."

Ulquiorra snuck a glance at Yammy, who was watching the screen with his mouth open.

"Next we have Aaroniero Arruruerie, the noventa Espada. He was a two-headed being, as well as the only Gillion in the Espada's ranks. The aspect of death he represented was greed." The camera showed a man - but the man definitely had only one head. It was black-haired, friendly looking, handsome. Ulquiorra frowned. He looked nothing like the shrimp kid.

"Aaroniero's power, _Glotonería_, was a gelatinous mass that was made up of every Hollow he'd ever consumed." There was a pause. "As well as this, Aaroniero possessed the ability to take on the appearance of Shiba Kaien, who he had consumed in the past. When in the shadow, he took on Shiba's face and memories. But in the sunlight, he looked like this."

The view changed again. Now, standing before them, was a man - if you could call it that - with a long tube for a head, splashing with red liquid inside. Floating in the liquid were two baseball-sized heads, both of them skulls. Ulquiorra snuck a glance at Aaroniero, who actually did resemble the lower skull. He was staring at the screen with a queasy expression on his face.

"He was killed by Kuchiki Rukia.

"Next was Szayelaporro Granz..."

Ulquiorra watched the screen, not really listening to the judge. A few words made their way to his ears: mad scientist, insanity, Kurotsuchi Mayuri. He watched as the pink-haired man on screen fought a man that looked suspiciously like Mr. Uryû and another that looked like Renji, the tattooed, pineapple man. He then saw him transform into a tall, octopus-y man and get run through with a sword by a creepy Egyptian-looking man. He heard Lilinette shudder and draw in a moan; Starrk reassured her.

Zommari was next. His was nice and short; a tall, thick black man, quiet. Intoxication was his thing; his power was called Brujería. He transformed into a pumpkin-like shape and was killed fairly quickly by a man named Kuchiki Byakuya.

"The sexta was named Grimmjow Jeagerjaques," said the man, and Ulquiorra perked up. Grimm was watching the screen with intense concentration. "He was a violent, disrespectful, and energetic man; stopping at nothing to achieve his goals, and always needing to be reined in by his peers or Aizen. The aspect of death he represented was destruction."

"_The aspect of death I represent is –"_

"_Destruction, Grimm murmured._

How had he known? Back in the kindergarten. How had Grimmjow the kid known about Grimmjow the man?

"Grimmjow's power was called _Pantera. Pantera_ enabled his body to become catlike and feral; moving at high speeds with grace and agility that was not seen in him when he was not in release form. He lost his zanpakuto but he had many other weapons on his body like sharp claws and hard shards that he fired from his elbows."

The screen was showing a man with short, offensively blue hair and a jawbone on the outside of his face laughing violently at something before proceeding to attack. Ulquiorra couldn't see the attacker's face, but the back of his head was orange and spiky.

_Just like Mr. Ichigo._

Then the screen shifted to the desert. Grimmjow the panther, his hair now long and whipping behind him, was leaping and bounding through the air, heading for a black-clad, orange haired man. Ulquiorra could clearly see his face this time - it was definitely Mr. Ichigo.

The next thing the judge said cinched it.

"Grimmjow Jeagerjaques was killed by Kurosaki Ichigo."

Just before the camera switched, Ulquiorra saw an image of Mr. Ichigo with the mask - the same one he had been wearing yesterday just before he had been overwhelmed and Ulquiorra had been kidnapped.

They moved on. Nnoitra Gilga was next; true to his costume, the man on-screen was also shaped like a giant spoon. Despite his widely grinning face, the judge announced that Nnoitra represented despair. To Ulquiorra's further puzzlement, he saw Mr. Ichigo; dirty and weak, being quickly overpowered by Nnoitra; who then gave him to a giant warthog to beat up while Nnoitra held down a girl. _Sensei? Could that really be her?_ But there was no mistaking those blue flower clips against the auburn hair. It was definitely Sensei.

The camera switched. Suddenly Nnoitra had a couple more arms and had lost the hood. He was fighting a big tan man with spiky hair.

"Next is the cuarta, Ulquiorra Schiffer," said the judge. Hallie squeezed Ulquiorra's hand as the boy stared up at the screen. He saw a man - kind of an average height, with shoulder-length, uneven black hair; emerald green eyes, tear tracks running down his cheeks. He had a helmet-type thing on his head; it looked like waves running down the sides, and it had a long, curved horn on the top. He was thin, with broad shoulders and thick eyebrows; and his expression was so devoid of expression that it made Ulquiorra shiver. He was standing with Yammy, facing a girl and a boy - could it be Mr. Chad and Sensei? Was that possible?

"Ulquiorra was an emotionless and cold man," the judge continued. "The aspect of death he represented was emptiness. He was loyal to Aizen, following every order to the letter; no more, no less than what Aizen had commanded. When Inoue Orihime was brought to Hueco Mundo, he was the one who was her jailguard. He fought Kurosaki Ichigo many times before their battle brought them to his death."

The screen showed Ulquiorra standing with Sensei. He turned abruptly when a figure cloaked in black entered - Mr. Ichigo. They fought for a while.

"His zanpakuto was called Murciélago."

_"Mine is Pantera," Grimm said happily._

_Ulquiorra said nothing, gazing at the stick in his hand. "Okay. Mine's name is...Zangetsu."_

_Grimm frowned. "No. That's a bad name. Do something else."_

_Ulquiorra couldn't explain the feeling that saying the name Zangetsu gave him. It was kind of...scary._

_"Okay," he agreed. "My sword is...Murciélago."_

Coincidence? He didn't think so. He looked uneasily up at the screen, where the man was framed against the moon, his costume now more like a dress, and his helmet now covering his whole head instead of half.

"Ulquiorra was singular in the Espadas in that he had a second release form which not even Aizen knew about. If he had, Ulquiorra would have probably been the number one Espada instead of number four."

Suddenly the man on-screen looked different; more animalistic, primal. He had thick, furry thighs; a devilish tail, a hole in his chest that appeared to have blood overflowing from it. His feet were more like claws, fur covered his arms, and the tears running down from his green and gold eyes was thick and covered his whole cheek. Instead of a helmet, two horns grew from his black hair.

"Ulquiorra Schiffer was killed by Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ulquiorra went numb. Deaf and blind to everything except the tiny section of screen where it showed the nightscape, the animalistic man dissolving in the wind, his hand reaching out to the girl who looked like Sensei.

There were tears in her gray eyes.

_Sensei narrowed her eyes at him. "Can you write your name..." -she looked down at her list- "Ulquiorra?" Her gray eyes widened, and she drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes settled on him, then moved out, focusing on the girl next to him, focusing on Grimm. She pressed a hand to her heart, took a deep breath, and focused her orbs on Ulquiorra. "Well?"_

_"Ichigo, I'm not kidding you. There are three Espada in my kindergarten class!"_

_"He's nothing like how he used to be, Ichigo. Remember how it was at the very end? He's just like that. I can't let him slip through my fingers again."_

_"Hime, come on," Mr. Ichigo pleaded. "I can't even look at him without remembering what he did to us."_

Ulquiorra swayed a little. A loud bang jolted him back to his senses.

"Does that answer your question?" the judge demanded.

"Yes," Starrk said uneasily. "But I still don't understand why you are even discussing executing us. We're just kids. So what if we resemble these people?"

"Not necessarily." Another judge's voice rang out. "For example, each of you have a strange waterlogged mark on your body somewhere where the skull fragment was on the Espada."

"And each of you have a number "birthmark" somewhere on your body, as well as a circular one where the Hollow hole was," pointed out another."

"I don't," Hallie argued.

"Tia Halibel's Hollow hole was located inside her uterus, so it's definitely there – you just can't see it," said a judge.

"Plus, there's the whole thing with Szayelaporro Granz's fits," said another judge. "That's not something that a normal child has. Seizures, yes. Mad fits, no."

"And Grimmjow Jeagerjaques's sword fighting ability."

"Zommari Rureaux's abnormally high reatsu."

"Yammy Llargo's unspeakable size and strength."

"The voice of the top skull inside the head of Aaroniero Arruruerie."

"Hey! How'd you know about that?" Aaroniero shouted.

There was another loud bang. All the judges were murmuring among themselves, but the bang silenced them all, and order fell neatly upon them.

"I think the decision is unanimous!" the very first judge shouted. "All in favor?"

Every single hand in the room went up. Ulquiorra was shaking; his heart was thumping like the beat of a drum, and he felt like he was going to throw up.

"Wait! Wait!" Starrk said. "You never called in a witness -!"

"It's decided!" the judge interrupted. "The Espada will be executed tomorrow at dawn on Sokyoku Hill. _Dismissed!"_

**SHIT JUST GOT SERIOUS.**


	9. Boy Meets Mastermind

**A/N: Hey, guys.**

**I have officially kidnapped Ulquiorra! He's been making random appearances in my stories but I'm just gonna let you know. He's living at my house and he's never getting away.**

**Ulquiorra: You did not kidnap me.**

**Me: Are you saying you came of your own free will?**

**Ulquiorra: …**

**Me: Do you want to do the disclaimer?**

**Nifty: No, I'm doing the disclaimer. I always do the disclaimer.**

**Me: Nifty, get out of the Bleach section. You can do the disclaimer in Maximum Ride. That's it.**

**Nifty: No, I can do it here too! See! Maximum Ride – sorry, I meant Bleach does not belong to her! –points-**

**Me: Get your fandoms straight!**

Ulquiorra didn't remember leaving the dungeon-like trail room. He didn't remember going outside or the walk that they must have taken away from there. He didn't remember crossing the bridge or entering the tower. All he could remember was the voice of the judge, ringing through his mind.

_"It's decided! The Espada will be executed tomorrow at dawn on Sokyoku Hill._Dismissed!"

The eleven of them had been locked in a tower. A tall, white, and doorless tower. He was sitting with Hallie and Grimm, between the two, just staring into space.

There were really no more words.

It was over for them.

Ulquiorra may have been young, but he wasn't born yesterday. He knew what was happening, he just didn't know _why_. He didn't understand the Soul Society's motives behind condemning a bunch of innocent children. They _were_ innocent, weren't they? Sure, they _looked_ like the guys in that film, but that didn't mean that they _were_ the guys in that film, right?

Did it?

Was Soul Society right about them? _Were_ they ruthless killers? Ulquiorra tried to imagine threatening someone like Mr. Ichigo and found that he couldn't.

_And where was Sora?_

He hadn't seen the autistic boy since the day before in the meeting room with the old captain, Yama-something. He wasn't…dead, was he? No. No, that couldn't be right. That wasn't part of the deal. And Mr. Ichigo hadn't come to save them, so Sora would be all right. He just had to be. If anyone in this twisted story didn't deserve to die, it was Sora.

At least, that's what half of him thought.

The other half, the desperate half, just wanted Mr. Ichigo to come and save him. Save them all. And if Sora died because of it, well, it was a noble sacrifice. Saving eleven lives for the price of one.

_Stop it,_ he told himself. _You're thinking like an uncivilized savage. Only the likes of Barragan or Nnoitra would be willing for a young and hapless child like Sora Kurosaki to die. So stop it right now._

A rather alarming thought crossed his mind.

_Was that what the Espada Ulquiorra Schiffer was like? Was he an evil man, willing to sacrifice weaker beings so that he himself could get ahead?_

He thought of the film again. Sensei and Mr. Ichigo standing in what looked like the desert, the animal version of the pale man, the cuarta, silhouetted there, crumbling into sand, reaching out to Sensei like she was going to help him, like she was going to save him. Before, when he was fighting Mr. Ichigo. There were plenty of times when he could have put Mr. Ichigo's attacks in Sensei's path, when he could have blocked with the girl instead of with the steel. But he didn't.

He didn't want the weak to die so that he could get ahead.

Maybe the Espada weren't such monsters after all.

But then he thought of some of the others. Nnoitra. Szayelaporro. Aaroniero Arruruerie and his gelatinous blob-like power, Yammy and his giant centipede legs. Some of them _were_ monsters. Trash. Sadistic. Evil. But maybe not all of them. He thought of Lilinette. Her kindness. Her fearlessness. Her quirky attitude. How could someone like Lilinette ever kill somebody?

She couldn't, that's how. She didn't deserve to die.

_None of them deserved to die._

"Hallie?" he whispered, turning his head towards her so that he could see her with his one good eye. "Hallie, guess what?"

She looked at him, curiosity in her eyes. He knew that she considered it a waste of time to ask him what was on his mind, so he decided to say it anyway.

"We're not going to die," he said confidently.

Her eyebrows shot up. This was news to her.

"I promise," he added.

"Ulquiorra Schiffer!" a voice shouted. "Come to the bottom floor immediately. Lieutenant Kotetsu is here to examine your wounds."

Ulquiorra stood. "Be right back," he told Hallie and Grimm, and then turned and walked down the stairs to the bottom floor. He actually kind of liked the feeling of the coattails waving behind him, falling against his legs when he stopped moving. He saw Isane Kotetsu in front of the door, framed by sunlight and two guards.

"Hello, cuarta!" said the gray-haired lieutenant when she saw him. "Well, don't you look nice." She smiled. "Come here so I can work on you."

He came closer, and she kneeled, reaching for his head. She unwrapped it swiftly and then stopped, her mouth falling open.

"I…I don't believe it…" she whispered.

"You don't believe what?" Ulquiorra asked, bracing himself for the worst.

"Ulquiorra," she said. "Can you please try to open your eye?"

"Huh?" he said. "Um, okay." He slowly unfolded his eyelid, the scene sliding up in front of his vision like a slide into a projector. He blinked rapidly and put up his hand in front of his face, looking at her in alarm.

"But I thought –"

"Take off your jacket," she ordered. He obediently shrugged off the coat, letting it puddle on the floor. She unwrapped the bandage swiftly, skillfully, letting in sit in her hands as she stared at his chest. He looked down as well. Where he knew there had been a large cut, deep enough to make Kiyone wince this morning, there was now nothing.

Not even a scar.

"Impossible…" she breathed.

"I do not see what is so hard to comprehend about this situation. I possess high-speed regeneration abilities. I told you earlier – your medical toys are just trash when you attempt to use them," Ulquiorra said. Then his face morphed into a mask of confusion.

What was that?

Lieutenant Kotetsu looked grim. "You know I'm going to have to report this," she said.

"It does not matter." Ulquiorra bent over to grab his jacket from the floor. "Central 46 has already decided. We are to be executed at dawn tomorrow."

Lieutenant Kotetsu looked shocked. "They've already ruled? Usually it takes more time to decide a life-or-death situation such as this one…"

"Yes. That is what I said. They decided without calling in a single witness. It was a unanimous decision and took five minutes," Ulquiorra said, zipping up his jacket. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He turned and was about to walk back up the stairs when she called out to him.

"You don't sound like someone who's going to die in a few hours."

Ulquiorra turned, looking at her sideways through his now good eye.

"That's because I'm not."

"Are you implying something?" she called, but he was gone.

**!**

It was a little while later, probably about two o'clock. Grimm, Ulquiorra, and Hallie were still sitting by the window. Ulquiorra could tell that Grimm's pants were full of ants. The boy was almost vibrating with energy.

"Come on, let's do something," he begged again.

"No," Ulquiorra refused for the nth time. "And stop pestering me. Go play with them." He pointed at Nnoitra and 'Porro, who were locked in a staring contest. Grimm glanced at them and shuddered.

"No," he said. "I want to play with you."

Ulquiorra had to fight to hold in a snort. "Yeah, because I am so interesting."

"You _are_," Grimm insisted. "Well, usually. But right now you're being…" he leaned in and whispered the word in Ulquiorra's ear. _"…stupid."_

Ulquiorra's eyes widened marginally, and he looked at Grimm with new respect. "You didn't," he whispered.

Grimm nodded, looking pleased with himself. "Uh-huh. I did. And I'll say it again if you don't play with me."

"No."

"You're wasting your life here," Grimm said, looking at him disdainfully. "Literally. We're all dying tomorrow, you know."

"No, we're not."

"What do you mean? Yes we are!"

Ulquiorra was spared having to reply by the sound of shouting below him. He looked out of the window and peered down onto the bridge. There were people standing outside, arguing loudly with the guards. Ulquiorra saw the red pineapple hair of Renji and Ms. Rangiku's orange hair, as well as the spiky black hair of Shûhei Hisagi.

"What do you mean?" Hisagi was yelling. "Of course it was an order from Captain Yamamoto! Do you want to ask him yourself?"

The guard replied calmly, too quietly for Ulquiorra to hear.

"_Thank_ you!" Renji exclaimed. The guards moved aside, letting the three lieutenants pass before turning and flanking them.

There was a loud noise as one of the three flung open the door. Hallie, Grimm, and Ulquiorra scuttled to the edge and peered down the many flights of stairs to the bottom floor.

"Hey, kiddoes!" Ms. Rangiku called cheerfully. Looking down, Ulquiorra saw the heads of many of the children peering out. "There's Coyote, and Ulquiorra is…" She searched the floors until her eyes landed on him. "Oh, he's way up there. Hello, Ulqui darling! How are you feeling? I heard you got cut up pretty bad by some mean men. I'm so glad to see that you're okay, sweetheart!"

Heat flooded Ulquiorra's cheeks at the things she shouted up at him – all the way up the tower, so that every single kid heard it. Next to him, Grimm laughed raucously, and Ulquiorra had to fight the urge to shove him off the balcony.

"You get distracted soo easily, Rangiku," Renji said crossly. "Let's get on with it. Coyote Starrk, primera Espada, and Ulquiorra Schiffer, cuarta Espada, please come with me."

"With _us," _Rangiku said, miffed. "You're such a stiffie, Renji. But yeah, kiddoes – as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I kind of have to take Coyote and Ulquiorra. Come on, boys. Don't make this hard."

"Bye guys," Ulquiorra said. "Go hang out with Lilinette. Be back soon."

Suddenly, and without warning, Hallie suddenly wrapped her arms around him, pressing him close to her chest. Ulquiorra's eyes widened.

"In case…you don't…come back," she whispered, and then let him go.

Grimm nodded. "Hang tough, Ul-kee-or-ra."

Ulquiorra nodded back, touched by their emotion. He turned and went down the stairs to meet Ms. Rangiku and the two men standing with her.

Coyote was already waiting. As soon as Ms. Rangiku called a goodbye to the rest of the children, they turned and left the tower, the three lieutenants sandwiching Coyote and Ulquiorra so that they didn't get away.

"Where are we going?" Coyote asked.

"We are going to visit Sôsuke Aizen," Hisagi said grimly.

There was a moment of silence in which Ulquiorra ran the sentence through his mind multiple times in order to be sure that he had heard it correctly.

"I'm sorry. What?" Coyote asked, sounding like he couldn't quite believe his ears.

"We're going to visit Aizen." Hisagi sounded serious. "He asked to see the two of you, I don't know why. But since he hasn't asked for anything since he was imprisoned, the Captain-General decided to grant his request."

"Hang on." There was something that Ulquiorra was having a hard time comprehending. "He's still alive?"

"Yep!" said Ms. Rangiku. "He has about four hundred ninety years left to his sentence. After that he'll be free, but banished to the World of the Living."

"Why didn't you just kill him? I'm sure that what he did was worthy of a death sentence."

Rangiku shrugged. "I guess they thought that death would be too good for him."

"But how did he know about us?" Coyote said. "I mean, how did he know that we were here?"

Renji was the one who answered this time. "I don't know. I guess since everyone's talking about it, he heard it somehow. Even the lowest of the low have ears, you know." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. All we need to know is that the Captain-General ordered you two to go visit him. So guess what you're doing? That's right. Visiting him."

Renji's tone left no room for discussion. They walked in silence until they reached a building, which had doors that Hisagi pulled open. The doors opened instantly into a stairwell that lead down into the darkness.

"Ready?"Renji asked. He picked up a lantern that was sitting on the first step and lit it. Candlelight flared inside the lantern. "Let's go."

He led the way into the tunnel. Coyote was right behind him, followed by Hisagi, followed by Ulquiorra and caboosed by Rangiku. The door swung shut behind them, clicking closed ominously. The golden light from the lantern was the only source of light in the stairwell.

It was an ominous feeling. Ulquiorra's heard began to race.

They went down for a long time. Down, down, down. The air was beginning to get colder; the ceiling was dripping. Ulquiorra was certain that they had to be near the center of the Earth by now. Maybe they were even approaching the Americas. That would be cool.

His knees were aching by the time they got to the bottom. He was not looking forward to going back up.

There were a bunch of doors that needed to be unlocked, but eventually they got to a long hall. At the very end of it, Ulquiorra could see a gleam from where the candlelight was reflecting off of bars.

They walked down to the end of the hall and stopped. Renji hefted the lantern.

"Aizen," he said coldly.

The man inside looked up. He had brown scraggly hair that fell to his shoulders, and stubble sprouting on his chin. His eyes were brown and amused. Even after all this time, he was still amused.

"Lieutenant Abarai," said Aizen. His voice was smooth, almost hypnotic. A hint of a smile tugged his lips at the corners. "Lieutenant Hisagi. Rangiku, looking as stunning as always."

"Your flattery will get you nowhere," said Ms. Rangiku in a hard tone. "We know what you want. We have the kids you wanted to see."

Aizen looked at them for the first time. His eyebrows raised so high, Ulquiorra was certain that they would disappear into his hairline. "Wow." He looked stunned. "Wow. It really is…it really is you two…"

He stared at them for a few seconds. Ulquiorra held his gaze.

"The primera, and El Que Llora – "the one who cries." I see that that part also transferred to you," he said, reaching out his hand for Ulquiorra's face. His wrist was so thin that it fit easily between the bars. Before he could reach the pale boy's face, though, Ms. Rangiku slapped his hand away.

"No touching," she snapped.

Aizen withdrew his hand as if he had been burned. "Of course. How rude of me. Forgive me, Ulquiorra."

Suddenly it was like someone else had taken control of Aizen's mind. The man fell to his knees.

"Forgive me," he sobbed, "but what is there to forgive? You were just following orders, my dear Ulquiorra. If only I had stayed in Hueco Mundo. Then I would have had both you and Inoue at my side while Gin and Tousen went and fought. But they got killed fairly quickly – and Halibel wouldn't have died, because I wouldn't have killed her. If I had only stayed, I could have been the king of the world now. Instead of sitting here on a straw in a cell in Soul Society."

"Aizen," Hisagi snapped. "Control yourself."

Aizen ignored him, beginning to rock back and forth on the floor.

"Come on, kids," he said. "We should go. This wasn't a good idea."

They turned to leave the man back in the cell – down the hall, through the doors, starting back up the stairs. As they climbed, Ulquiorra couldn't help but think.

_The deterioration of a mastermind like Aizen-sama is truly a miserable thing._

**Ulquiorra helped me paint my mailbox today. Thank you, Ulquiorra! It looks great!**

**Oh, by the way, the song for this fic is "Am I the Enemy," by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Review for Aizen's blood.**


	10. Boy Meets Sentence

**A/N: This is me being excited about almost finishing all my stories. :D I have 2 chapters left of 2 stories and unknown of 2 more. (including this one.) And then there's Addiction which no one is reading so I can end it whenever I want.**

**Ulquiorra: I believe this is called "first-class laziness."**

**Me: Oh, hush, you.**

The morning was deceptively bright so far. The sky was still slightly tinged with pink; no clouds skittered above the horizon. The sun was framed by the wooden structure of the Sokyoku, and the rocky cliff edge appeared to be lifting it like a finger, nudging it up into the sky.

From the viewpoint of the sun, the happenings on the cliff were nothing special. The line of black ants in procession to the large wooden frame was no different from usual, and the smaller white ants that followed with their heads bowed low were of no matter to him.

However, to every one of the bowed heads, it meant everything.

Only one head stood tall and resolute. Ulquiorra was still certain that it was not over; positive somehow that his life was not at an end. How they would escape the absolute certainty of this sentence he did not know. But he did know that they were innocent of the "crime" of their accusation. If there was any sense of justice in the world, he knew that they would not be dying today.

He had tried to convince Hallie, Grimm, and Lilinette of this the night before. However, his three friends would not be swayed. So hopeless were they that they refused to see the tiny flame that Ulquiorra clung to, looking ahead with bright eyes, steadfast in his knowledge that things would turn out all right.

Instead, all three opted to blow out the flame of hope; to douse it with the water of misery, hide it beneath the bushel of helplessness.

Ulquiorra looked around. Clutched in the arms of Captain Ukitake was Sora Inoue. The small boy's bright gray eyes were watching him with detached interest, even as his tiny fingers played with strands of Ukitake's pale hair. Ulquiorra wished he could be that careless, sitting in the arms of the gentle old man instead of lined up here to die.

Of course, they weren't going to die. But the thought of it was still a little scary.

"The Espada are here!" called someone by the end of the line. Ulquiorra turned his head and saw the short little captain, Hitsugaya or something. He'd forgotten already. Anger boiled within him, and he clenched his little fists. If this guy hadn't been around, a lot of this wouldn't have happened.

"Sentenced for aiding Sôsuke Aizen in his criminal schemes, they are now being tried, since we didn't get to do it properly the first time," Hitsugaya said. "Are you ready for the execution to begin?"

He looked around as if he was expecting cheers. However, all of the captains besides himself sported unnaturally long, solemn faces. Hitsugaya cleared his throat and stepped back to allow the Captain-General room to speak.

The old man wasted no time on petty speeches.

"Line up the Espada before the Sokyoku!" he called, slamming his staff on the ground. Lieutenant Sasakibe and Lieutenant Kurotsuchi stepped out and spread the Espada out directly below the upper beam of the Sokyoku. Ulquiorra, sandwiched between Nnoitra and Hallie as usual, was repeating the phrase _We're not going to die. We're not going to die_ over and over in his head like a mantra. Hallie took hold of his hand, gripping his palm so tightly that her nails cut into his skin. Her eyes were wild and had a frenzied look in them.

For some reason, Nnoitra – as well as the eighth and thirteenth captains – all had their eyes focused on 'Porro Granz. Nnoitra even looked a little concerned. Ulquiorra was confused, but then he put the thought out of his mind.

Despite himself, his hands were starting to sweat.

Something bright caught his eye. He looked down. A bunch of blue flames had suddenly burst from the ground, except that they were small, like a gas fire, and were in the shape of squares. Slowly the squares began to rise from the ground, forming blocks in the dirt. Ulquiorra could see that there were three for each kid.

The block in the middle stopped at the level of his feet, and his ankles snapped together, sending shooting pains up his leg as the bones hit.

The other two blocks rose higher. When they reached the level of his fingertips, his arms rose with them, until his body was spread like a T. He tried to move his arms, tried to move his legs, but he couldn't.

The blocks didn't stop there. They rose higher. Ulquiorra was shaking when his feet left the ground. He tried to kick back down, but his legs were paralyzed.

Hallie, next to him, was crying openly. He hand was still wrapped tightly around his. He tried to squeeze her fingers, to try and comfort her, but his arms were paralyzed.

_We're not going to die. We're not going to die._

He tried to tell her that they wouldn't die, but as the blocks dragged his body higher into the air, rising equally with the others – with his _friends _– the strain on his throat was too great. _His voice was paralyzed._

He looked down. The captains were standing grimly on the ground, watching their steady progress to – where? Was this how they would die – rise up and up and up to the sky, out into the atmosphere, suffocated by the pressure, fried by the ozone layer, crushed by the vacuum? The captains' heads were tipping backwards, their necks like hinges, the pink sky casting skittle-colored shadows on their faces –

The blocks ground to a halt. Surprised, Ulquiorra tried to look up. His muscles did not obey him. The strain on his arms was too much; he couldn't lift his head.

_Ulquiorra was paralyzed._

Suddenly he noticed it – why hadn't he noticed it before? The blade. It was huge, covered in white ropes, the silver metal reflecting the pink and orange sun. Now the ropes were slowly unwinding, floating away from the stand, out and out and away from the stick, towards nowhere. The blade was slowly uncovered, free, gleaming in the early morning light. Spearheaded and imposing, it reached just past where the Espada were held.

_We're not going to die. We're not going to die._

Down below, the captains and lieutenants looked like ants, pale faces turned toward the sky.

_This must be what the sun sees,_ Ulquiorra thought.

Suddenly more movement caught his eye. Down at the base of the spear, something was smoldering. His green eyes were drawn to it. Suddenly, the base erupted into flames, and his head jerked back in surprise, pulling muscles in his neck. The flames twisted up the base of the spear, engulfing it completely.

Hallie's nails on his hand were about to draw blood.

"Is this what's supposed to be happening...?" she whispered.

_We're not going to die. We're not going to die._

Suddenly the flames blew back into the shape of a giant bird. A _giant_ bird. The tail was nearly touching the ground; the neck reared past the supporting beam on the Sokyoku. The wings beat, blowing hot, steaming, humid air towards the children lined up on the block.

_WE'RE NOT GOING TO DIE! WE'RE NOT GOING TO DIE!_

Lined up like lambs to the slaughter.

_WE ARE NOT GOING TO DIE! ! !_

The bird's mouth opened; a scream issued from its beak. Ulquiorra could see the flames coiling angrily inside its mouth, flickering just past that fatal lower jaw, curling inside the shell-shaped upper jaw, shooting back inside.

_**WE ARE NOT GOING TO DIE! ! !**_

The bird reared back its head.

_We are going to die._

The thought popped suddenly into his head, and with that the flame of hope that Ulquiorra had been clinging to so dearly was pinched out. Extinguished, buried, doused. Dirtied, tarnished, gone.

His hope was gone.

The bird struck, and Ulquiorra heard a high-pitched scream.

"_NO!"_

**So, yeah, hope you liked it!**

**Ahahahaha! Just kidding. You should have seen your faces!**

Dimly, Ulquiorra saw the bird retreat, heard the blood sizzling in the flames of its beak. Saw a tiny body fall limply to the ground below them.

_Which one of them was it?_

_Who was dead?_

The bird was picking them off one by one; instead of slicing all the way through all of them. He heard the bellows of someone still bound to the block, heard the voice cracking as the body landed, broken, on the ground. Green hair spilled from the head, too much skin was showing beneath the costume.

_Lilinette._

The bird had missed; obviously aiming for Starrk, who was first in line. Not counting on the smallness of the children, the bird was now angry. It readied itself for another strike.

Ulquiorra could see the blood spilling out of the small girl from where he was on the block. One of the captains started to rush forward – it looked like the woman medic, with the black braid down the front of her face. The shortest captain almost stopped her, but she pushed angrily past him and knelt by the girl.

Starrk was crying audibly, shouting his denial, his anger, his grief, his sister bleeding on the rocks below. His sister broken on the rocks below.

His sister dead on the rocks below.

But now he had to pay attention, because the bird was coming again, and who knew who it would take next, who knew who would die next. Hallie's lips were moving furiously beneath her costume, murmuring what sounded suspiciously like a prayer.

The bird's wings fluttered backwards; back went its head. Eyes narrowed, flames trickling from its beak in concentration.

It would not miss this time.

Starrk was still bellowing, pulling against his bonds, shaking with his soul.

Ulquiorra was so scared.

So scared.

The head dropped forward, and Ulquiorra's eyes squeezed closed; his heart pumping so hard he thought he might explode, his entire body pulsing with the beat. His mouth went dry. Hallie's nails pierced his skin; a drop of blood ran down his wrist.

Time slowed.

_Ba-dump._

_Ba-dump._

He swallowed, his heart in his throat.

_Ba-dump._

_Ba-dump._

Licked his chapped lips.

_Ba-dump._

_Ba-dump._

Opened one eye – this was taking too long. Was the bird broken? Was it satisfied with the life of one and now wanted to return to slumber?

What he saw made him almost scream in terror.

The bird's beak was a few feet from his chest, its razor beak seconds away from impaling him. His eyes snapped closed; his heart was pumping angrily, getting its last out. His whole body hurt from the terror.

_BA-DUMP._

_BA-DUMP._

_BA-DUMP._

He opened his eye again.

There was something between him and the bird. Something fire-colored. Smiling hugely, each tooth clearly visible. His tie flipped forward and ticked Ulquiorra's nose. He was standing in midair, and Ulquiorra's huge, terrified eyes looked him up and down. Slacks. Orange button-up. Wide mouth, hand behind his back. He was holding a blade, one hand holding back all that force. His short, shorn hair waved in the wind.

"Ulquiorra Schiffer," said the man, "this is your lucky day. Hello! My name is Hirako Shinji."

**That was the tensest thing EVER!**

**The end for real, y'all! Ahahaha…REVIEW!**


	11. Boy Meets Saviors

**A/N: WAT. THE. FUUUUUUUUUUCKK? ? ? ?**

**WHO HERE IS CAUGHT UP WITH THE MANGA? ? ? ? I.E., READ CHAPTER 485 (I THINK) ON WEDNESDAY? ? ? _AND SAW WHAT I THINK I SAW? ! ? ! ? !_**

**Oh my God, guys, I am so excited! ! ! Caps lock, bold, italics, and underline are not enough to express my excitement! ! I'm not going to say what it is in case there are other people reading who haven't caught up, but…Someone review and talk about it, or PM me and talk about it. Because I NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT! **

**AAAAHHHHH~~~!1~!`1!11~!1**

**Now I can talk about real stuff ~~ HOLY SHIT GUYS. 1. We cleared 100 reviews! This is a record for me as it usually takes at least 20 chapters for me to get that high! :D So thank you all very much, you have NO idea! 2. THERE WERE 20 FNICKING REVIEWS ON THE LAST CHAPTER. My mind has been blown. I didn't know that was humanly possible for me. Thank you all SO MUCH again, I love you all. Every review gives me a mini spaz attack, you have no idea~!**

Ulquiorra could only stand in shock as the smiling, toothy blond man raised his free hand to his forehead and dragged his fingers swiftly down his face and to his chin. Just as before, with Mr. Ichigo and Mr. Kensei, a white mask appeared on his face, trailing strips down the back of his head. Ulquiorra's eyes widened impossibly when he saw the man – Mr. Shinji's – eyes. They were black and gold, unnatural and frightening.

Ulquiorra cringed, sure that Mr. Shinji had only come to simply kill him himself. But the masked man whirled around and raised his sword to the bird. Ulquiorra shut his eyes tightly, wincing with each crash, feeling the wind from Mr. Shinji's movements and the heat from the fire bird course across his body.

He kept his eyes closed tightly, his eyelids aching, for what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes until the clashing stopped. Tentatively opening them, he saw Mr. Shinji holding his shoulder and grimacing in pain. His mask was broken, only covering one eye and his forehead, and as Ulquiorra watched, the mask dissolved until his eyes were back to their gray-brown. The man's face was covered in soot and his bangs were singed on one side. But, despite his obvious pain, the man still managed to turn and smile reassuringly at Ulquiorra, revealing the same piano teeth as Nnoitra.

_Nnoitra ~ _

Ulquiorra turned to look at his comrade, who was hanging from the block with his mouth wide open, displaying the aforementioned piano teeth. To his right, Hallie was also staring in shock, her blond lashes not covering her sea-green eyes at all. Her collar had slipped down a little, showing about half an inch of the awful scar that mottled the bottom of her face.

"All right, kiddoes. Down we go."

Mr. Shinji's eyes flicked down, and Ulquiorra's did too. The captain were all standing stock still, eyes glued to the scene above – or all but three. The captain-general looked as though his mind had been blown, while Tôshirô Hitsugaya was looking angry and pacing while keeping his gaze trained upward. The third was Captain Unohana, who was still bent over Lilinette.

"How?" came 'Porro's voice from farther down the line.

Mr. Shinji grinned. "You kids didn't think I'd come get you with only myself, right?"

As if cued, the air around them shimmered and seven more people appeared. Ulquiorra recognized one, and opened his mouth before he could stop himself.

"Mr. Kensei?"

The man's mask didn't turn towards him, but Ulquiorra thought he saw the yellow eyes behind the carved-out holes flick briefly towards him.

Ulquiorra was too surprised to even notice how weird it was that all of the new people were standing on the sky, without any kind of support. However, he heard Aaroniero clear his throat.

"Um…are you guys flying?" Aaroniero asked quizzically.

"Who cares?" Starrk howled. He threw himself against the blocks again, struggling to free himself and get to his sister. "Let me out!"

Ulquiorra's neck and arms were aching. He attempted to roll his shoulders, but he couldn't. Still paralyzed, then. He winced and looked at Mr. Shinji, feeling his upper body beginning to shake.

"Okay, Lisa, you're in charge of the first two," Mr. Shinji said, and a woman with a cross-shaped mask and a long braid nodded and zoomed to Starrk and Barragan. "Kensei, you grab the next two."

Mr. Kensei took fast, deliberate steps across the sky and with sure strong fingers yanked the blocks off of Hallie's hands, tossing them over his shoulder. The girl fell forward suddenly, her feet still pinned to the wood. Mr. Kensei's arm wrapped around her and she fell against his chest while he ripped the last black from her feet.

She clung to his shoulders, still clearly terrified.

Mr. Kensei reached for Ulquiorra. The blocks felt like magnets as they separated from Ulquiorra's hands, and he gripped Mr. Kensei before he had a chance to fall. His feet parted from the block, and he held tightly to Mr. Kensei's bulky arms, trying not to look at the scary bone mask.

A guttural growl emitted from the man's throat. "Who's getting the Kurosaki kid?" Mr. Kensei called, his eyes flicking to his few remaining comrades. Mr. Shinji, among them, was no longer smiling.

"I will," he said, and dove toward the ground, his hair and tie streaming behind him. Ulquiorra couldn't look away from the man, who he was sure was going to hit the ground right by Captain Ukitake's feet, but instead, Mr. Shinji scooped Sora up into his arms, made a hairpin turn against the air, and soared back up to them.

"How come Shinji only has to have one kid?" grumbled a blond girl with a red tracksuit and a unicorn-like mask. "It's not fair."

"You don't have any kids, Hiyori," pointed out a man with a tux, long wavy hair and a mask with a bird beak. He had Nnoitra and Grimmjow on his back, who both looked like they were trying to hold on for dear life.

"And anyway, Kurosaki Sora is the most important one, seeing as he's the one the Soul Society will be trying to get back the hardest, and if he has so much as a scratch on him when we get back, Ichigo will rip out our spines and beat us with them," said a man with a star-shaped afro, an aqua tracksuit, and a mask with two tiny horns protruding from it. Zommari and 'Porro were clinging to his back.

"Lovely image, Love," said a huge man in a green suit, with pink hair and a clown-like mask. He had Yammy trying to fit his arms around his thick neck, but the boy was so large himself that the man didn't seem to have room for any others. "I really wanted that image in my mind."

"I know you did, that's why I said it," said the man with the afro, shrugging and almost making Zommari and 'Porro slip from his back. He quickly scooped them back up, looking alarmed.

"Can we get back on track?" said the woman with the braid, sounding irritated through the growl that her mask caused her to have. "I think the captains are getting restless." She looked down, but upon seeing Captain Kyoraku's beaming face and dorky thumbs up, she blushed and quickly looked back at her comrades.

"Plus, my mask is getting tired!" complained a girl with green hair and a strange orange-and-white jumpsuit and buggy mask. Aaroniero – the smallest of all of them – was slung carelessly across her shoulders, and seemed to be struggling to stay on.

"Pssh, hush, you. Your mask can endure longer than any of us here," said Mr. Shinji. He wrapped his arms securely around Sora. "Let's just get this over with."

The crew flowed easily into formation. Ulquiorra shifted so that he was riding piggyback on Mr. Kensei's back, sharing the space with Hallie, who still appeared to be scared. Feeling Mr. Kensei's back muscles rippling under his tiny body gave Ulquiorra strength, and he reached out for Hallie's arm.

"It's okay," he said. "We're safe now."

"Do you…really think we…aren't going…to die?" Hallie whispered, not looking at him. Her eerily blond eyelashes were aimed downward, like she was watching her lips as she spoke.

"Yes," Ulquiorra said. "I told you, didn't I?"

She looked at him. The two of them were bouncing with every confident step Mr. Kensei took, but he could still see the emotion in her sea-colored eyes.

"But Lilinette," she said.

Ulquiorra tried; he really did. But he couldn't stop his eyes from sliding down to the figure on the rocks, which were much closer now that Mr. Kensei had descended from the beam of the Sokyoku. He could now see her eyes, which were closed; her nose, scrunched up in pain; her mouth, covered in blood. A hole had been torn in her chest, and her neck and limbs were bent at awkward angles.

"What a way to go," murmured the blond man with long hair.

"Have a little respect, Rose," snapped the one called Love.

"What does it matter? They're all in denial, anyways," said the one called Rose, reaching up and patting Grimm's blue head fondly. "Isn't that right, Schiffer?"

Ulquiorra tore his eyes away from Lilinette and gulped nervously. How had he known that pretty much all he was thinking when he looked at Lilinette – besides _ew, blood_ – was how badly he really needed a back massage?

"Do not presume," he snapped, and then looked even more surprised because he didn't even know what _presume_ meant, much less _denial._

"Not this one," called the woman carrying Starrk and Barragan. Starrk was still pounding on her shoulders with his fists, hollering at her to release him. Although he was clearly strong, she was evidently sturdier than she appeared. Her dainty feet with their neat black knee socks and plum Mary Jane's landed squarely and surely on – on air…without stumbling.

Ulquiorra had to think that sentence over a couple times in his head before giving up. There was no way to make it make sense.

"He's going all out," the woman continued, "I think I might even have to –"

"Lisa!" snapped Mr. Shinji. "Concentrate."

The woman – Lisa – shrugged, but shut up as Mr. Shinji halted. Mr. Kensei, under Ulquiorra and Hallie's feet, also stopped, his boots coming to a close on air, and yet the shock from the stomp traveled up his legs and into Ulquiorra's bones.

"Head Captain!" Mr. Shinji shouted from behind his mask. "Explain yourself!"

Ulquiorra pulled himself up over Mr. Kensei's buff shoulder and peered down at the assembled Soul Reapers below, who he hadn't been able to see clearly earlier. They were all standing scattered on the hilltop, but when the Head Captain opened his mouth, they grudgingly got into a loose formation behind him.

"I refuse!" called the old man. His hands were fisted securely on the top of his staff, and his hair blew in the wind. "I think _you_ are the ones who should explain yourselves, Hirako Shinji!"

Mr. Shinji chortled. "If you can refuse, then so can I," he said cheekily.

"I wonder how long it took him to get his eyebrows that long," Grimm mused aloud.

Mr. Love choked down laughter.

Sora Kurosaki gripped Mr. Shinji's collar tighter and stared down at the assembly below. Ulquiorra could see his arm shaking from fear.

"You cannot do this!" proclaimed the Head Captain. "If you attempt to rescue the Espada, we will be forced to kill the boy, Kuro –"

He stopped abruptly and seemed to be grinding his teeth.

"That's right!" Shinji laughed. "You can't kill any more children, Head Captain. We have all of them with us! How can you expect to destroy something you don't even have?"

The Head Captain's eyes narrowed. He shrugged his shoulders, but it wasn't a movement that suggested defeat or lack of interest in the situation – it seemed to signal much more. "My hand is forced, Hirako Shinji. If we cannot simply kill the Espada children, we will have to kill you as well."

His thick white coat fell to the ground. The wood of his staff seemed to peel away, until only a purple-handled sword was left.

"Aw, you don't have to get undressed for us, Head Captain," drawled Mr. Shinji.

"It's too late to apologize," growled the Head Captain.

"_It's too late to apologize," _Nnoitra sang, which only served to infuriate the captain further.

"Shut up! Are you fucking retarded?" the girl with blond hair – Hiyori – snapped. Nnoitra shrank back.

"It's too late!" the Head Captain yelled again.

"The temptation! It's too much!" Nnoitra moaned quietly. Grimm patted the back of his spoon hood reassuringly.

"You've forced my hand," said the Head Captain again. He looked really mad now. He slowly drew his sword. Every inch of the blade that was revealed made Ulquiorra's heart beat faster. The sun gleamed off of it. _"All things in the universe turn to ashes! Ryujin Jakka!"_

From nowhere flowed the flame, so hot that it seared Ulquiorra's face from even that high in the air. He winced, jerking his body backwards and letting go of Mr. Kensei's back to shield his paper-white skin.

"Whoa!" Mr. Kensei said, stumbling in the air. In front of him, Mr. Rose turned to see what was happening.

"Kensei! Watch it!" Mr. Love howled as Ulquiorra's center of gravity passed the balance point and he tumbled backwards, freefalling from his savior's back through the sky. His eyes were open wide in shock, and he heard Hallie's high-pitched scream as she was jerked from her safe position on Mr. Kensei as well and was sent on a direct trajectory toward the hard ground.

"_Kensei!"_ yelled Mr. Rose, and he leapt from his standing position on the air to chase after him. Ulquiorra heard Grimm yell in terror, but he was so focused on the ground approaching so quickly that he couldn't look up and see.

He had been saved only to go and die again. _Today's just not my day, is it,_ he thought, his mind hysterical from terror. He could only watch the ground getting closer, as his hair whizzed and scratched his face, and his eyes dried from pressure, his uniform being nearly ripped from his body, bile rising in his throat, and the ground was getting closer and closer and closer –

"Reign over the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru."

The voice was so soft that Ulquiorra wasn't even sure if it was really speaking or not, but in the next second, he landed with a hard _thump_ on something hard.

As soon as the urge to vomit from terror passed him, Ulquiorra realized that he wasn't lying dead on the ground.

He was alive.

And he was sitting on an ice dragon.

He heard two successive _thump-thumps_ behind him, and was nearly thrown from his seat again, but he grabbed onto a frozen spike to keep from tumbling to his third death that day. Twisting around and trying to see through his tunnel vision, he saw two figures dazedly righting themselves behind him – one with a hay-colored mop of hair, and one with an azure theme about his face.

With a creaking and a slight jostle, the ice dragon took flight again, flying high into the sky. They were sitting next to the huge wings, Grimm being just in front of them. If Ulquiorra looked at the right angle, he could see all the way through the belly of the dragon to the swinging tail and shocked faces of the Vizards below. He looked up, following the line of icy spikes with his eyes, all the way up to the translucent blue head and ruby red eyes. He gripped the spike before him tighter and shivered; the ice was melting a little bit from his body heat, and the freezing water was soaking through his clothing.

The dragon circled and landed back on the ground behind the captains. Ulquiorra saw the neck lower and the head nose the ground. A small, white-haired figure strode forward toward them, and put his tiny hand on the dragon's snout.

"Good boy," Ulquiorra was almost sure he could hear Hitsugaya whisper.

"Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya," called the Head Captain.

"Hey! Give them back!" yelled Mr. Shinji, outraged. He rounded on Mr. Kensei and Mr. Rose. "How could you guys let them fall?"

"I'm sorry! It was that damn Ryujin Jakka!" Mr. Kensei protested.

"You should have been more careful with the prisoners," said the Head Captain. "But now we have them back. And this time we're not letting them go."

Ulquiorra turned and met eyes with Hallie and Grimm.

"Uh-oh," he whispered, and the dragon took flight again.

**Talk to me! :D**


	12. Boy Meets Imagination

**A/N: Hey guys. I am on le Spring Break, and as much as I'd like to say "THIS IS THE BEST SPRING BREAK EVAR!1!~1`!1~`!~!" I am quite sorry to say that it's not. The concert I was looking forward to for 2 months got canceled (on the day of the concert!) I got a fever and a cold and am still coughing up snot, (lol you're welcome,) and couldn't go on our trip because of it. So my sister and my dad got to go on an awesome trip while I'm stuck at home with my mom, who works during the day and has a bigger social life than I do. And because I'm sick, I can't do, like, anything, so I'm stuck at home writing fanfiction. This is good for you guys but not so good for me. Yesterday I was so bored I wrote a 6,880 word chapter for one of my Maximum Ride fics, and then I about killed myself from misery because my stomach muscles hurt so bad from coughing all night. **

**Anyway, I've complained enough :D so…Disclaimer: How many more times do I have to say it! & here you are.**

**(p.s. I re-read chapters 422&423 today b/c I forgot Aizen's original sentence. Oops, it was 20,000 years, not 1,000. Also.. "just what do you think those haori are?" "a pain in the ass." "cheap." "stylish? *3*" "…" kyoraku ftw :D)**

Ulquiorra could only stare in surprise at the ground below them as the ice dragon - Hyorinmaru - flew higher and higher into the sky. He could actually see through the body of the creature, see its legs tucked under, its icy wings on the downstroke, its tail whiplashing back and forth. But the thing that he could see most of all was the ground, getting steadily farther and farther away the higher they got.

The sunrise made the dragon's body turn beautiful shades of crystalline orange and pink, and its ruby eyes glowed. It was about that moment that Ulquiorra realized that he was riding a freaking dragon, an ice dragon no less, and the closer they got to the sun the better chance this thing had of melting.

"U...Ulquiorra?"

Grasping the spike in front of him even tighter, Ulquiorra shifted in place to see the speaker. It was Hallie; her eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"Yes?"

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"We're riding a freakin' DRAGON!" Grimm cheered from behind Hallie, and pumped his fist. "This is so awesome. I never thought we'd be able to do something like this! It's almost worth almost getting killed for!"

"You really think that?" Ulquiorra said. "Lilinette is dead, and you think this is worth it?"

Grimm frowned. "Of course not!" he sputtered. "It's not worth an actual death. It's worth an almost death! If I was Lilinette I don't think I'd say it was worth it either!"

"Guys…just stop," Hallie said, her voice trembling. "We need to figure out…what's going on."

"There's not a whole lot _to_ figure out," Grimm said. "We fell, and now we're on a dragon."

"Yeah, but why…did we fall?" Hallie asked.

"Because of the fire," Ulquiorra said.

"That's why _you_ fell," Grimm pointed out crossly. "You fell because you couldn't handle the fire. Then Hallie was jerked off because of you, and then my guy went after you guys and _I_ fell."

"What? I sunburn easily," Ulquiorra defended himself.

"Why didn't…Nnoitra fall?" Hallie asked after a small, disbelieving pause.

Grimm shrugged. "Who knows. 'Cause he's eight and stronger?" he mused.

"Hey, look," Ulquiorra interrupted, and pointed down.

The dragon had stopped flying up and was now rapidly winging its way away from Sokyoku Hill and back towards Seireitei. The three children peered over the side of the beast down at the brown-roofed buildings and shining white tile of the ground below, seeing the small black-clad figures stopping in awe, their nondescript heads turning up at them and their fingers raised, extended at the spectacle above. From far and wide, the Soul Reapers of Seireitei watched in amazement as the Tenth Captain's awe-striking Hyorinmaru sped over them, headed for the darkest corner of their beloved city.

"Where are we going?" Grimm shouted over the suddenly loud wind. Hair whipping about his face, eyes watering as the dragon's pace picked up, it was all Ulquiorra could do to keep his hold on the icy spike in front of him, much less audibly speculate at Grimm's question, to which he did not know the answer any better than the blue-haired boy seated somewhere behind him. His fingers were going numb around the spike, and he was beginning to get worried that he would develop frostbite and never again be able to use them. Worse, the seat of his pants was now so thoroughly soaked that he was about ninety-nine percent sure that his butt was blue.

Hyorinmaru's wingspan suddenly tilted, making his body go about 30° to the right. The children yelled – Ulquiorra included – as the dragon's slippery body seemed to attempt to dump them. Hearts pounding, all of them scrambled for more spikes, wrapping their arms around them in fear until Hyorinmaru leveled again. Then, without warning, the dragon slipped to the left, making all the children throw their body weight to the right again until he was level.

"It's like a plane," Grimm explained breathlessly once the ordeal was over. "It tilts a lot for some reason just before landing. It's probably the law or something," he bragged, showing off how much he knew about planes and flying and legalities in general.

"Oh…thank goodness. Does…that mean…we're landing soon?" Hallie asked, her voice relieved.

Grimm was quiet. Ulquiorra looked at the ground, pointing with a small, pale finger. "I believe so. The ground is approaching steadily."

The other two aimed their eyes at the ground as well, spying a lone shack-like building standing solitary in the middle of tile that didn't seem quite as clean and shining. When Ulquiorra's observant eyes picked out the small black box standing next to the door, he felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach with an audible splash.

"Oh, no," he groaned.

"What is it? Do you know where we are?"

Before he could speak, the dragon's icy legs extended and it landed with a _thump-thump_ on the tiles. Folding its wings back on its sides, the large neck bent in a loop, bringing the head backwards to look directly at them with those unnerving ruby eyes. All three children recoiled, Ulquiorra almost bumping into Hallie.

The air next to the dragon head shimmered, and the short captain, Tôshirô Hitsugaya, appeared next to them. Resting one hand on the dragon's head, he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word in edgewise, Grimm jumped quickly and angrily from the back of the beast and marched right up to the white-haired captain, who was only about a foot taller than him.

"_You did this to us!" _Grimm accused furiously, stabbing the man in the chest with his finger with every word. "You tore us away from our lives and brought us here! You put us in a prison! _You killed Lilinette!_"

Hitsugaya looked around, as if to make sure they were alone, while Ulquiorra and Hallie also slid off the dragon, keeping their distance. For the first time since they had met him, a look of sincere apology washed across his face.

"I know," he said, sounding tired, stressed; as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "I know, I know. And there is nothing I will ever be able to do to repay you for what you have gone through at my hands."

Ulquiorra and Hallie glanced at each other, shocked. Grimm stumbled back, not expecting that at all. In the silence that followed, Hitsugaya pulled out his blade from its sheath. All three of them stumbled back in fear, but all he did was run his fingers across the surface. The ice dragon behind them glowed blue, and then disappeared, leaving only their frost-kissed cheeks behind. Hitsugaya sighed and re-sheathed his blade.

"Um…what?" Grimm stammered.

Hitsugaya looked around again, and Ulquiorra saw real fear flash across his eyes. "Head Captain Yamamoto has eyes everywhere," he murmured. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this, Espada. I am genuinely ashamed of my actions over the past couple of days, but there are some things that you three are just too young to understand."

"Wait. Wait. Are you saying that the Head Captain's the bad guy here?" Grimm demanded.

"What are we too young to understand?" Ulquiorra demanded of the white-haired man.

Hitsugaya turned and looked him straight in the eyes. Teal-colored eyes hooked in green ones, and for some reason Ulquiorra got the feeling that this man had seen decades' worth of bloodshed. But of course that wasn't possible; he couldn't have been more than eighteen.

"Love," Hitsugaya murmured.

He picked up the black lantern next to the door to the shack-like building and opened the door. Directly inside the doorway was stairs; leading down into the darkness. A familiar damp chill washed across Ulquiorra's body; the frozen, soaked spots on his uniform making him shiver all over.

"Why did you take us here?" he asked Hitsugaya, anger suddenly washing through him. Hitsugaya paused; pain washed across his expression, and he looked for a moment as though he would give anything to turn back and run away.

"The Captain-General's orders," he said quietly. "Please don't make this difficult. If I take too long in reporting back to him, he might…" He shuddered. "After you, Espada."

Hallie lead the way down the stairwell, seeming to want to make up for her abrupt lack of courage earlier. Ulquiorra followed behind Grimm, who was between him and Hallie. Behind them all, Hitsugaya carried the lantern, which cast their shadows on the wall with flickering, grotesque forms. As they walked, Grimm kept glancing back; the yellow light making his hair turn a nauseous shade of green.

"Where are we going?" he demanded repeatedly, but received no answer.

After a while, Ulquiorra felt a creeping tendril of warmth spread up his back, encircling him and seeming to dry off his wet uniform. He looked back at Hitsugaya to see that he had his hand out; a bright globe of seemingly magical light was emitting from his palm and was directly aimed at the children. When he aimed his gaze down at his previously frozen uniform, he saw that it was steaming slightly.

"Oh…my goodness," Hallie sighed from the front, and Ulquiorra realized that Hitsugaya was drying their uniforms from his ice dragon's remains. He turned to show Hitsugaya his face and closed his eyes in thanks.

"OH!" Hallie exclaimed a moment later as her foot hit the solid ground. She took a couple steps farther in, looking at the sight in front of her. "What…in the world…?"

Despite the fact that the room was lit by a brightly burning torch, Hitsugaya raised the lantern higher on the form of the man in the cell. Scraggly hair reaching his shoulders, stubble lining the rough curve of his jaw, clothes going raggedy on his back; his eyes still had an amused twinkle that Ulquiorra still had a hard time accepting.

"What's this?" Sôsuke Aizen looked mildly surprised. "More visitors?"

"Please," Hitsugaya snapped, "like anyone'd willingly come visit you." He took a step forward, herding the kids toward the cell. "Take a good look, Aizen; I'm sure you know who these three are."

Aizen stood from his cot; his bare feet crunched across the hay; the shackle attached to his ankle rattled eerily. He slithered up to the bars and pressed himself against them eagerly.

"My goodness, those are some faces I haven't seen in a while," he said, smooth as silk. "Miss Halibel. Mr. Grimmjow. How are you two doing?"

Grimm stared warily at him. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" Aizen drew back, affronted. "Why, I take offense at that statement, Mr. Grimmjow. I am none other than your former master, Sôsuke Aizen."

There was a pregnant silence as Grimm contemplated this.

Hitsugaya didn't give him time to answer. "All right, kids," he said, striding up to the door of the cell and unlocking it with a large key, "in you get."

Aizen eyed the opening with interest, but made no attempt to slide through. Grimm, Hallie, and Ulquiorra all swiveled and stared at Hitsugaya in mingled shock and horror. Hitsugaya only looked at them with resignation for a moment, before turning away and avoiding their eyes.

"But why?" Hallie whispered.

"DO IT!" Hitsugaya roared. His personality change was so sudden that it sent all three kids scuttling into the cell, which he closed behind them with an ominous _clang._

"I'm sorry," Hitsugaya whispered, his shoulders slumping.

Then he was gone.

Horrified, Hallie whipped her head from the locked door to Aizen to the staircase to the door again. She slowly sank to her bare knees in the cell, her eyes wide and disbelieving.

"It's all right, Miss Halibel, you shall get used to it eventually," said Aizen cheerfully.

* * *

><p>"Tell us a story, Mr. Aizen! Please..."<p>

Grimm rolled onto his back on the ground, laying spread-eagle and staring up at the man. Mr. Aizen looked surprised for a moment, then smiled absurdly.

"This is so bizarre..." he murmured.

"What is?" Grimm almost purred, rolling about madly in the hay like a kitty attempting to scratch its back on the stone floor. Mr. Aizen only stared in shock before bursting out laughing. As if surprised by the sound of his own amusement, he immediately stopped, a look of sincere apology coming over his face.

"You'll have to excuse me, Ulquiorra, I'm afraid these ten years of imprisonment have served only to deteriorate my mind."

"That's quite all right," Ulquiorra said stiffly, his back to the wall as far away from Mr. Aizen as possible.

They had been in the cell with the man for about an hour now. To Ulquiorra's slight surprise, Mr. Aizen had not yet attempted to kill them or torture them or anything of the kind. Instead, he was surprisingly friendly (albeit a bit mad), although his behavior had a dark underlying edge that Ulquiorra couldn't quite put his finger on. He thought it was probably one of those things he'd have to be older to figure out.

_There are some things that you three are just too young to understand._

"What did he mean…?" Ulquiorra mused aloud. Fortunately for him, no one was paying him the slightest bit of attention.

"Why didn't…you just escape…the moment he opened…the door?" Hallie asked Aizen, sounding slightly cross. She was sitting on the cot, slightly behind Mr. Aizen and as far away on the narrow bed as she could get to him.

"Well, there's a force field around that door, sweet thing, and anyway I wouldn't get very far. It's only been a couple years, after all. My dear Espada. How I wish I could offer you some tea with this waste of time, yet I fear I am lacking the necessary ingredients…?" He ended his statement with a slight lift to his voice as though he was asking a question, and held out his hands as if to show that they were empty. "But Grimmy-neko-san never likes my tea, anyway. You always complain about the tea, Mr. Jeagerjaques, before you run off to slay some Numeros. Big bad Panther stepping on ants, that's what I always say, but you never listen. Ah, you have a bloodlust rivaled only by the Espada of Spoonular Proportions." Aizen giggled to himself at his own wit.

"You're out…of your mind," Hallie informed him.

"Ah, my dear, what happened to your beautiful voice? You have such a sharp tongue, usually. Did you let Szayel get after you with one or another of his potions? I really shall have to speak with him about that…Oh, look, Zommari's brought some tea! Thank you, Zommari." Aizen twisted in midair and made like he was accepting something from an imaginary waiter. "And now, Ulquiorra, would you like some tea?" Aizen raised his eyebrows at Ulquiorra and mimed pouring tea into a ceramic teacup.

"Um…no thank you." Ulquiorra edged even farther away. _He's completely insane. Dangerous, even. It's not safe to be around him. And why is he talking to Espada in the present tense? Does he think we're really them, even now? Has he gone that insane in just an hour or so?_

"Ooh! Me wants some!" Grimm sat up eagerly, perching on his knees and folding his bottom neatly on his feet before wiggling with excitement. He held out his small hands eagerly and Aizen's eyes lit up with delight before moving carefully over to Grimm and placing a pretend cup inside them. Grimm lifted his hands to his face and pursed his lips, extending his pinky finger and waving it about gently like a flag while he "sipped his tea."

"Hits the spot, that does," Grimm said breathily, lowering his hands; "have more, do you?"

"But of course, my dear Sexta." Aizen turned back and pretended to fill his teapot yet again. Despite himself, Ulquiorra felt curiosity bubbling within him, and he hesitantly crawled to join Grimm on the floor. The two boys were soon joined by Hallie, who by feminine nature couldn't stay out of a tea party even if she wanted to.

"Ah-! All three of you are joining. Excellent, excellent," Aizen said pleasantly, pouring some more tea and handing it carefully out to the three of them. Ulquiorra accepted his "cup" carefully, bringing it delicately to his chest and cradling it between his palms.

"Now, Ulquiorra, what have I told you about nursing your tea; it'll get cold, and then we shall have to pour it out," Aizen scolded. "Drink it down; that's my boy."

Ulquiorra obediently lifted his hands to his mouth and tipped his head back, swallowing air. His imagination provided the warmth spreading through his chest like tree roots, although some part of his mind suspected that this was just a lingering effect of Hitsugaya's warming spell. Lingering tastes of chamomile echoed in his mouth.

"Now that we've all had our tea, shall we discuss battle plans?" Aizen asked pleasantly.

"Battle plans? Ooh, who're we fighting? Bring it on!" Grimm cheered, setting down his cup so hard it rattled.

"Why, Soul Society, of course!" Aizen said, sounding surprised that Grimm couldn't have guessed it earlier. He lifted the ornate hand-painted teapot and poured himself another thin stream of tea, before setting the pot once more on the straw. "They did take out our dear Lilinette, as you recall. We can't let them escape with their lives."

Ulquiorra lifted his glass to his lips again. They had filled in Aizen-sama on all the details from earlier and were now caught up to speed. "I agree," he murmured against the cool green ceramic of the teacup. "Lilinette's death shall not go unpunished."

"Ulquiorra, it's not like you to take the vengeful road," Hallie murmured, her low voice unbreaking as she picked up her cup.

"Lilinette is a special case," Ulquiorra murmured before parting his black and white lips to let the warm tea slip by and race down his throat.

"Ah, I see," Aizen-sama said, smiling; "so, our first course of action is to get out of this cell, ne?"

"But the force-field…"

"I can break it, it is simply a matter of strength," Aizen-sama said, waving his hand carelessly at whoever had asked the question. Grimm reached out eagerly, taking the teacup in a rugged hand and splashing some more into his cup. A soft hissing noise began to sound in the corner of Ulquiorra's hearing, but he ignored it. A plate of scones materialized, and he took one.

"Scones, anyone?" he offered.

"So when does our plan go into action?" Hallie said.

"Yeah, the more destruction, the better! As soon as possible, yo!" Grimm cheered some more, picking up a scone and stuffing the entire thing into his mouth. "Let's get started right away!" he cried, spewing crumbs everywhere.

Ulquiorra indignantly picked a couple of flakes of scone from his now lukewarm tea and then drained the rest of it. The hissing was growing louder, and becoming harder to ignore.

Aizen's face drained of color.

"What, Aizen-sama?" Hallie asked. Ulquiorra followed the man's gaze to the corner, where a small tube-like thing in the ceiling was beginning to emit a light, rose-colored smoke or a gas of some kind.

"I forgot about that damned microphone," Aizen muttered. "Hey! Wait! It was a joke!" he cried, but it was too late. The smell of the pink smoke hit Ulquiorra's nose, and his eyes rolled back and he collapsed, the now-empty teacup in his hand shattering as it hit the floor.

**I can tell I'm going to get a lot of questions about this, so I'll explain what happened. **

**Ulquiorra finally let his imagination run away with him~! Yay! So, he was not actually drinking tea or eating scones, but he **_**was**_** having that conversation with Aizen & co. And since the Soul Society had a microphone down there in order to hear everything Aizen said, they heard it and thought they were being serious, 'cos they're paranoid, remember? So…they gassed 'em! Just to knock them out, gais, our heroes aren't dead yet. So, next chap…are they just giving a warning or planning something else now? **

**Gah, you all have no idea how hard it is to write this Hitsugaya mystery-subplot from the point of view of a character who has 0% deductive reasoning ability. –sigh- Review, for some luffly tea? XD**


	13. Boy Meets Blackmail

**A/N: Kinda sad because popularity for this story seems to be going down. But you know what? I ain't gonna nag for reviews, because I've done that on some of my other stuff and then I read it later and get mortified. So I'll just sit sadly in my little corner.**

**Ulquiorra: /musters breath I…I will sit with you, if you would like.**

**Me: Nah, it's okay, Ulquiorra. **

**Ulquiorra: /blinks Really?**

**Me: On second thought…/glomphs You know me so well…/cries**

**Ulquiorra: You're getting my uniform wet…**

**On another note, me and moonlightrurouni are starting an awesome Ulquihime collab that is called…well as of this exact moment it doesn't have a name. I just sent her a panicked PM reminding her of this. Anyway, it should be up sometime this week or next week. You can find her in my favorites or among the diligent reviewers of this story. So keep an eye out!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Also, I don't own the sailor song or "Hate On Me," which is by Jill Scott, although I didn't write the exact words. LOL**

Ulquiorra's head was pounding. He cracked his eyes open and immediately shut them again, since the light outside felt like daggers stabbing him. Wincing, he raised a hand and felt around to see what he could see.

_A sailor went to sea, sea, sea,_ he absently sang inside his head. _To see what he could see, see, see. But all that he could see, see, see, was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea!_

By the time he finished the song he thought he could probably open his eyes. His thick black brows knitted together intensely and he slid his eyes open hesitantly, his face scrunching up.

As soon as he opened his eyes again he wished he hadn't. He slammed his lids together again, his heart racing. When he had opened his eyes, all that was in his vision was the stern face of the Captain-General. The old man was standing just over him.

Talk about creepy.

The old man's eyes had been closed, but Ulquiorra knew he could see. Maybe the Captain-General had see-through eyelids. He let his mind wander. What if he had eyelids that were like one-way storefront windows, or like tinted glass on a car? If they were closed all the time, how else could he see? Or maybe he had an invisible third eye on his forehead somewhere. It wouldn't be hard to miss it among all those wrinkles.

"Open your eyes, Espada," said the man's voice. So he knew that Ulquiorra was awake. Maybe he _could_ see through his eyes after all.

Slowly Ulquiorra opened his eyes again, his muscles straining against the lights. He had prepared himself for the man's closeness this time, so it wasn't as big of a surprise. Instead of reeling in shock, he studied the Captain-General's forehead for a third eye.

Shifting his head slowly to one side, he could discern Grimm's outline, though it was blurry and distorted when viewed from between his almost closed lids. Just beyond Grimm he thought he could see Hallie, although he wasn't certain.

He lifted his head a little. The three of them seemed to be lying on beds with crisp white sheets, still dressed in their miniature white costumes. Ulquiorra thought the room looked familiar, then realized – this was where he had woken up, the night that he had been attacked by the Squad Three members. Shelves lined with assortments of bottles lined the walls, and a glass of water stood placidly on his bedside table.

At the foot of the three beds stood the female captain with the braid in front of her face – Captain Unohana, the indifferent-looking captain with black hair and a pastel scarf, and the huge, tan captain with the spiky black hair. Usually the latter was toting a feral grin and an irritating pink-haired girl, but at the moment both seemed to be absent.

Ulquiorra's eyes focused on Captain Unohana, trying to remember where he had last seen her. Then it hit him. He opened his mismatched lips and croaked, "Lilinette?"

Her soft-eyed gaze met his. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice full of sweet regret. "She did not survive the fall. I did everything I could. She was only human, after all."

It might have just been Ulquiorra, but he thought he saw her toss an angry glance in the direction of the Captain-General.

"Silence!" the captain commanded. "This discussion is over. Captain Kuchiki! Is the link set up?" he barked.

The graceful captain with the pale green scarf bowed slightly. "Hai. The connection with Aizen Sôsuke is active."

"Sôsuke Aizen, can you hear me?" The head captain raised his voice a little, and a tinny crackling voice sounded. Ulquiorra lifted his head and saw a tiny device with a microphone and listening box next to Grimm.

"Yes, Yamamoto. Loud and clear."

"Is that Aizen-sama?" Grimm spoke for the first time, his voice almost as crackly as the device.

Ulquiorra saw Captain Unohana glance at the other two men, a worried expression crossing her face. He got the sinking feeling that Grimm had just said something very, very wrong. The Captain-General's long white eyebrows twitched slightly, but the old man turned to the device, backing away from Ulquiorra.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" the Captain-General demanded.

"About what?" Aizen-sama crackled, his voice sounding a little tired.

"About your plans to destroy Soul Society with the army of child Espada by your side!" Yamamoto fumed. "Do not play ignorant with me, Aizen, especially about a serious matter like this. We know that you've been sitting in your cell, planning revenge for what happened ten years ago. And now that chance has been tossed into your hands. We heard your entire conversation. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"What do…I have to…?" Aizen-sama's voice was incredulous. "My God, you Gotei 13 are as stupid as ever. Did you honestly think I was being serious?"

There was a short silence.

"Aw, crap," said Captain Zaraki irritably. "You mean t' say ya dragged me all th' way out here fer nothin'?"

"It's only to the squad 4 barracks, you behemoth," Captain Kuchiki murmured fluidly.

"Huh? You implyin' somethin'? What's a behemoth?" Captain Zaraki demanded.

"Gentlemen, if you please," Captain Unohana interrupted. Her face was drawn with worry, and she took a few steps forward towards the device. "Aizen, do you mean to say-?"

"I was just entertaining the children." Aizen's voice was unreadable. "I figured they'd be down there for a while. So we had a tea party and schemed, just like the old times."

Captain Kuchiki looked up. "You had a …tea party?" he asked, his voice calmly disbelieving.

"Yes," Aizen-sama said. "Jealous, Kuchiki?"

"Please, stop this," Captain Unohana said. "We're not trying to one-up each other now. Where did you get the tea for the tea party, Aizen? Did one of the cell cleaners give it to you?"

"There wasn't really any tea, we were just pretending," Aizen-sama crackled through the tiny black machine. "You didn't see anything when you came down to retrieve the children after you gassed them, did you? No scones or anything?"

At the mention of scones, an unbridled growling filled the air. Ulquiorra lifted a hand and pressed it furiously against his stomach, hating the feeling of it vibrating beneath his fingers. For some reason, the familiar feeling of his ribs jutting out from his skin didn't feel right in this magnificent white outfit.

"I'm hungry," Grimm said, which probably seemed very random to just about everyone in the room.

Hallie sat up, crossing her legs and observing the room with quiet sea-green eyes, not even bothering to push away the blond mop that flopped over her face. For the first time, Ulquiorra noticed blue hourglass-shaped hairpins attached to the clumsily cut strands that hung longer than the rest of her hair.

Yamamoto was very clearly angry. Probably very angry. But he reeled himself together and took a deep breath. "Fine. Sôsuke Aizen, for this great inconvenience, as well as dragging out three captains, an extra ten years shall be added to your sentence."

"Fine," said Aizen-sama, his voice bored. "What's ten years here or there?"

"That's right," Yamamoto snapped. "Captain Kuchiki, please take the chil – Espada to lunch and then escort them back to the cell."

"Hai." The noble captain bowed regally and then motioned to the kids. "Come with me, now," he ordered, and Ulquiorra sat up and slid off of the bed, his head still pounding. He slid his fingers through his hair and rubbed his temple, then fell in line next to Grimm. Hallie was walking next to the captain, whose scarf, hair and coat were flowing elegantly behind him.

"That was dumb," Grimm said, sounding mad. He kicked at the ground angrily and glanced back at the three captains, who were discussing something. "They're all a bunch of haters."

"Haters?"

"Yeah. You know? _Go ahead and hate on me hater. Cause I'm not afraid-er. And I'm a potater."_ Grimm sang the last bit and grinned happily.

Ulquiorra stared at him. "No, I do not know. What is a 'potater'?"

"Your mom."

Ulquiorra frowned, but didn't ask any further, slightly afraid of what the answer might be. Look at what he'd gotten so far.

But Grimm's reference to his mom made him think about Sensei and Mr. Ichigo for the first time in a while. He remembered Sensei's almost glowing orange hair and smiling mouth, her hand extended to him like a lifeboat. What was she doing now? Was she getting up and going to work every day, especially now that her son Sora was missing? Did she slip on her sandals and flower-print skirts and sweaters, carrying a backpack full of sidewalk chalk and fairy tales, and take her little beat-up green car rattling away down the road to the school every day with that shining smile on her face?

What about Mr. Ichigo? Did he go back to the big hospital, don his blue pajamas and white coat, slide on his reading glasses and organize his pens by what color they wrote in his breast pocket? Did he stop at a street vendor and pay 600 yen to get his shoes shined? And then did he sit at his desk all day and swivel in his chair, prop his shiny black feet up on his cluttered desk when he thought no one was looking, yell at Mr. Uryû when he walked in without knocking?

Did Mr. Ichigo and Sensei come home together, make soup for their daughter, listen to her stories about kindergarten with loving smiles, then tuck her in gently at night with a storybook and a kiss on the forehead?

Or had they sent Masaki to stay with a close friend for a few days until everything got sorted out? Did they stay at home all day, pacing the kitchen floor back and forth? Was Sensei picking up the phone to beg for a substitute, please Principal-san, there's an emergency with my son. Was Mr. Ichigo jittery all day, his fingers in his hair, face crunched in agony, what to do what to do what to do running through his head like a mantra? Would Sensei try to put a hand on his shoulder, her eyes sparkling with tears, a single track of liquid diamond running down her cheek? Would Mr. Ichigo push her off at first, but then let her fall into his arms, let her cry into the embrace of someone who had failed his family?

Ulquiorra almost tripped on the entryway to the cafeteria. Shaking his way out of his thoughts, he tried to convince himself that the Kurosaki's were not so torn up. Because if they were, it was his fault.

And he didn't want to waste away here, didn't want to die here, before he told them he was sorry for everything he'd done to them.

_"Hime, come on," Mr. Ichigo pleaded. "I can't even look at him without remembering what he did to us."_

Ulquiorra almost tripped again, and this time Grimm reached out to steady him, clamping his hands around Ulquiorra's upper arm. Ulquiorra glanced at the contact point, focusing on Grimm's dark fingers against his own ivory skin.

"Watch where you're going," Grimm said, but it wasn't accusatory.

"Thank you." Ulquiorra shook his arm from Grimm's grasp.

They went up to the food. Ulquiorra glanced around him before taking a plate. They were in a huge hall, with a hundred tables all pushed together. On one wall hung a giant sign with the same symbol that Captain Kuchiki had on the back of his coat. The whole room was filled with the black-clad Soul Reapers, eating and laughing.

"Did you get enough to eat?"

Captain Kuchiki's voice floated through his mind. Ulquiorra looked down, startled; he hadn't even noticed filling his plate with food.

"Uh…yeah."

"Let's go sit, then." The captain turned and glided away, heading for the tables. A group of Soul Reapers looked up, saw their captain approaching, and quickly grabbed their plates and fled the table, leaving a large space for them to sit.

The captain sat gracefully. Ulquiorra, Grimm, and Hallie all scrambled into their seats, on the opposite side of the captain. Ulquiorra picked up his chopsticks and clumsily began to eat.

The captain ate with fluid movements, savoring every bite.

The first chunk of food fell onto Grimm's lap. It was to be followed by many more.

The captain chewed slowly, then reached for another morsel of food delicately, extending his glove-covered wrist.

Hallie glanced around hesitantly, then pulled down her collar. Ulquiorra's eyes fell to his food as the damaged skin around her mouth was revealed, the scars stretching up almost to her ears.

They ate in an awkward silence.

Abruptly, the captain stood, just as Ulquiorra was laying down his chopsticks. Grimm was picking up food from his lap, popping it in his mouth, and Hallie's face was safely behind her collar once more.

"Let us go," Captain Kuchiki said. "Leave your plates," he added, when Ulquiorra moved to grab his, "they will be collected by an underling."

The three of them hopped from the bench, Grimm brushing off his pants onto the ground. Then they all left the cafeteria and walked into the sun, heading back to the dungeon.

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra had forgotten how cold it was down there.<p>

The stale air was making his head ache again, and he sat in the corner, his arms wrapped around his knees. Determined not to get caught up in Aizen-sama's tea party games again (although he had to admit it had been kind of fun), he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

"So there were ten of them. Some had servants which they called Fracción, which served them loyally. I think you had five, Grimmjow. Yylfort, Shawlong, Di-Roy, Edorad, and Nakeem."

"…so what were they like?"

Ulquiorra felt warmth on his arm, and opened his crying eyes to see Hallie slide down in the straw next to him. She huddled close, trying to get warm, and he let her snuggle into his side. She wasn't wearing a whole lot, anyway.

"_Shh!"_

Ulquiorra's eyes opened, and he saw Aizen-sama and Grimm sitting on the cot. Aizen-sama's head was cocked. "I hear something. Or someone," he whispered.

Ulquiorra held his breath, and soon, he, too, could hear the stumbling footsteps coming down the stairs. His eyes locked on the entryway, and he watched rigidly until a figure came into focus.

It was a woman. She had short black hair, and was wearing a pure white, albeit stained, knee-length kimono/shihakusho, with a red collar around her neck similar to the ones the Espada were wearing. She was clutching her shoulder, and one ankle twisted awkwardly under her. But then she raised her head, and Ulquiorra could see her familiar eyes shining from among the scratches and dirt that marred her cheeks.

"Hey, I found you," said Karin Kurosaki.

**Okay, guys. The story now has a name. It's called _Doomed to Remember –_ or at least mine is. moonlightrurouni's is called _Cursed to Forget._ It would mean so much to me if you'd glance it over…ok thanks. And please don't forget to leave a review! Reviews=Inspiration=Quicker Updates! **


	14. Boy Meets Escape

**A/N: Sorry about the delay ~This chapter was like pulling freaking teeth, and it wasn't even that long! I don't know if I told anyone about this, but I never plotted this story all the way to the end. I guess I started and then got lazy. I mean, I know more or less what's going to happen, like the giant stuff e.g. Karin, but everything since the Vizards showed up 2 chapters back I'm making up as I go along. So I guess it's making me a bit unmotivated. Don't worry, I will definitely finish this. My #1 pet peeve (besides people who smack their gum, seriously I think I'll end up going to therapy for that one) is when people abandon a fic. Hiatus is okay; slapped up, stick on endings are okay, but I _hate_ when people just abandon fics. –cough- So I never will.**

**PS. If you like HitsuKarin, this chapter is where it starts to get interesting. :D (if you like HinamorixHitsugaya, gtfo. Hinamori would be so cute with Izuru…Ahem.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, jeez. Back off, peoples! I don't know why they make us say this every time. To me, it seems kind of obvious, you know cause the site's called FANfiction...? not AUTHORfiction, not OWNERfiction, but fanfiction. Grr.**

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra said the first thing that popped into his mind.<p>

"Aunt Karin?"

Immediately he wished he hadn't spoken. Grimmjow and Hallie looked at him disbelievingly, but Ms. Karin didn't bat an eyelid. At least, not at the boy's utterance. She actually looked more surprised at something else.

"Wait. I thought there were eleven of you?" she asked, leaning heavily on the wall beneath the torch.

Ulquiorra's eyes hardened. "One is dead," he said emotionlessly. "The others are safe, hopefully, with the Vizards."

He stood and walked to the bars, grasping them in his hands. Grimm joined him, pressing his face to the metal, and Hallie stood silently on his other side, her sea green eyes calm, but calculating.

"Kensei and his friends?" Ms. Karin said, her breath coming heavy.

"Yes." Ulquiorra shot a glance at Aizen, and saw the man relaxing against the wall, an easy smile softly gracing his features.

Ms. Karin coughed, her body spasming with the movement. "That makes it easier, then," she said when she recovered. "We need to get out of here."

"Why are you here?" Grimm demanded, staring up at her through wide cerulean eyes.

"I thought that they'd kill Sora if anyone tried to save us," Ulquiorra added, confusion making his own thick eyebrows furrow.

Ms. Karin laughed weakly, sending herself into another coughing fit. When she was done, she wiped her mouth with a grimy hand and said, "I didn't come here to save you. I need saving as much as anyone else."

This confused Ulquiorra, so he looked down with his eyebrows knitted together to puzzle it out.

"Anyway," said Ms. Karin, pushing herself off of the wall and stumbling a little on her twisted – or worse – ankle, "we should hit the road. If we want to make it out of here alive, we need to run before Soul Society figures out we're here."

"How are we gonna get out of the cage?" Grimmjow sneered. "Didya think that one through, Karin-san?"

She didn't waste her energy glaring. "Of course I did, brat," she said tiredly. With the arm not holding her shoulder, she reached into her stained kimono and produced a set of keys on a ring. "How did you think I broke my ankle? I had to knock out the guard and get these handy-dandy keys. And don't think it was easy. At least there was only one guard. And I'm not sure if he was even a guard – he had cleaning supplies."

She limped as quickly to the door as she could and started fitting keys into the slot. Aizen stirred with interest, and she paused, drawing a useless key from the lock to fix him with as much of a death glare as she could muster with her face so covered with dirt and blood.

"I know you can't get out, Aizen. There's a force field that is sensitive to your energy alone. Tôshirô …told me about it."

Her voice cracked on his name. Her shaking hands had a hard time fitting the key into the keyhole. But she eventually pushed in the right key and turned it, and with a _click,_ the cell door swung open. She caught it with her hand and controlled the swinging.

"All right," she said, opening it just wide enough so that the three children could file out. "Let's go, guys."

Grimm padded across the dank cell and led the way up the stairs, casting a flickering shadow on the stone wall. Hallie followed behind him, joining his grotesque shadow on the wall. As Ulquiorra began the long climb upwards, he glanced back at the smug-looking Sôsuke Aizen in the cell and wondered if he was the only one who remembered the microphone in the room.

* * *

><p>They burst out into the sunlight, onto the clean bright tiles, short of breath from the climb and squinting against the light. Ms. Karin's face was screwed up in pain as she held all of her body weight on her shaking, uninjured leg. Her left arm crossed her chest and clutched her shoulder tightly, her head bowed and her jaw clenched. Sweat dripped down her face.<p>

"Are you okay, Ms. Karin?" Ulquiorra asked.

She nodded, gulping hard, but in obvious pain. Ulquiorra looked at Grimm helplessly. The small blue boy had his brows set decisively, and with only a slight quiver in his step, he made his way over to Ms. Karin and took her arm, slinging it around his shoulders and grasping her palm.

He was a little short, but the relief that washed over her features was immediate. It was quickly replaced by surprise, and then by a small smile. Grimm had a look on his face like he was just daring anyone to ask him what he was doing, he'd be happy to rip out their spine and play jump rope with it.

"We good?" Hallie asked after a short silence.

"We're good." Grimm grunted an affirmative. Ms. Karin used her free hand to hide her smile, but Ulquiorra didn't fail to notice the way her dark eyes crinkled in the corners.

"Let's go, then."

It was slow work. Ms. Karin was limping heavily, and every step caused her features to contract. She was really in pain. Hallie was walking a little bit ahead, her keen eyes keeping watch for Soul Reapers.

"Do you see anyone?" Ulquiorra called.

Hallie turned. Her blond eyebrows were furrowed a little bit, her expression guarded but puzzled. "Not a soul," she reported.

Grimm let out a loud guffaw.

"Keep it down," Ulquiorra demanded, irritated. "Someone will hear your obnoxious voice, _Grimmjow._"

"Fine, _Ul-kee-or-ra,"_ Grimm snapped, "it was just kinda funny, you know, how you were asking about Soul Reapers and she said, not a –"

"We all heard it," Ulquiorra said loudly. "No need to repeat what she said, no one here is deaf."

"Haha, you said no one _hear_ is _deaf_ –"

"Except you if you don't shut up!" Ulquiorra said loudly.

"You're making just as much noise as I am!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Okay, we get it! Both of you shut up!"

Ulquiorra shut his mouth with a snap, his teeth clicking together, angry with himself allowing himself to be provoked by the smug blunette supporting their savior.

They walked on. The white buildings, capped with brown-red shingled roofs, seemed to lead in an endless maze around the Seireitei. It was long going, and every step seemed to put Ms. Karin in more and more pain. Finally she was leaning so hard on Grimm that Ulquiorra had to gather up her other arm and support her as well.

He couldn't shake the feeling that something was abnormally wrong. The Seireitei was a city that was filled to the brim with noisy, irritating Shinigami. He frowned. The city was silent, and it unnerved him. The atmosphere was tense, their footsteps resounding off the walls. It felt like the silence before the storm.

Finally, Hallie, who had gone to scout ahead, came sprinting back, her hakama pants blowing backwards in the wind of her passing, her black and white sandals slapping the tile.

Ulquiorra's heart began to pound. Had they been discovered…?

"There's a…clearing…up ahead!" Hallie exclaimed. "And an…arch that has…this glowing…white light in the…center! Thing!"

Ms. Karin perked her head up. Her body was obviously in torment; she was sweating so hard that the dirt and blood were being cleaned by little paths of sweat. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and exhausted, but sparkled with hope.

"An arch you say?" she asked, her voice haggard. "All filled in with white light?"

Hallie nodded, looking eager.

"Thank goodness," Ms. Karin murmured. "Pick up the pace, boys, we're almost out of here." She hobbled faster, and Ulquiorra also started to move quicker, eager to see what they were talking about.

Soon enough, they emerged into a space where all the buildings framed a large circle. It seemed to be the edge of Seireitei; because at the end they were facing the white tiles dropped off into a cliff. Right on the cliff's edge was a tall stone archway. The inside of the arch was completely filled in by a bright, pure white light.

"We're here," Ms. Karin whispered.

She stood in silence for a moment, looking so relieved Ulquiorra was worried she would pass out.

"Alright, kids," she said, and they gathered around her. "Listen. This is going to be very difficult since we don't have any Hell butterflies. We're going to need to run very, very quickly. If not, we may be sucked into the tunnel and will never be able to return." She gave them all a serious look. "I want each of you to know that if I fall behind, you have got to keep running. At the other end of the tunnel is a shop belonging to a man called Urahara Kisuke. He will give you shelter. Okay?"

They returned her serious gaze. "Let's go!" Grimm said.

All four fugitives made their way across the clearing. They were almost to the clearing when –

"_Stop right there!"_

Ulquiorra and the others froze. Turning, they realized just where exactly all the Soul Reapers had gone to.

Every tunnel, every entryway into the clearing was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of black-clad men and women, all holding deadly blades, unsheathed and pointing at the escapees. Hundreds upon hundreds of eyes narrowed against them.

And in the lead was Captain-General Genryuusai-Shigekuni Yamamoto.

Ulquiorra's throat went dry.

"You cannot escape!" the Captain-General shouted, slamming his staff on the ground. "For breaking out of prison and aiding the Espada, we sentence you, Hitsugaya Karin, to further imprisonment. And you three Espada – the third, Tia Halibel; the fourth, Ulquiorra Schiffer; and the sixth, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques – shall be immediately executed on the spot! This execution will be carried out by myself, Head Captain Yamamoto!"

Ulquiorra couldn't even move. He was paralyzed by fear. It took the old man one second to flash step over to them, another second to materialize his sword, and only one more second to raise it high.

Ulquiorra's throat closed and his pulse roared in his ears.

So this was the end.

He closed his eyes tightly and cringed.

A clash of metal made him give an uncharacteristic yelp. He tentatively opened his eyes and was surprised at what he saw.

A small figure was crouched above him, holding his sword upward to block the Captain-General's. Sea-green eyes were narrowed, white cloak flapped in the breeze of the movement. Hair stood shockingly white against the deceptively blue sky; the small mouth was twisted as though he had smelled something sour.

Behind them, Ms. Karin let out a whimper.

"That's enough, Yamamoto," said Tôshirô Hitsugaya.

**I decided to do an experiment to see if I could review my own story. Guess what! You can! Hahaha. I'm not going to do it again, but you guys can go look at my self-review if you want, lol.**

**Ps. I don't know if any of you like the series Maximum Ride by James Patterson, but I write for that fandom too. Down with the Mylan and Faya! Up with the Fax! YEAH!**

**Reviews are loved!**


	15. Boy Meets Reasoning

**A/N: Sorry again about the delay! I'm on vacation with the family and they frown on media stuff so I am taking this chance while everyone's watching the most boring movie on the planet to write this chapter for ya. :) I got a frickin sunburn and it hurts like a nutter so I'm gonna go put on some aloe and then get to writing.**

**Disclaimer: Me and Kubo have some things in common. Both of our stories are ending soon (2-3 chapters left probably…) But I am not him and he is not me. Therefore I do not own Bleach.**

The mass of Soul Reapers gathered around them were as still as if they had been frozen into Hitsugaya's ice power. Yamamoto's face twisted, and he withdrew his sword. Hitsugaya also backed down and took a step away from the head captain, although it didn't send a 'running away' signal, more like 'I-can't-even-stand-to-be-near-you' signal. He put his arm around Karin and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Tôshirô..." she murmured.

"I know. I missed you too. And I'm sorry this happened, but we need to talk later. Right now, we expose the Head Captain." He turned his gaze to the old man, keeping his arm around his wife but his frosty gaze on his boss.

Expose the head captain? Ulquiorra didn't like the sound of that. What was everyone thinking? Okay, so Ulquiorra wasn't the head captain's biggest fan right now. In fact he was completely lost on why the captain was going to such extreme lengths to kill them all. But he could kind of understand why the Soul Society's strongest warrior wanted them dead. They posed a threat to what he had worked so hard to create, the city that he had spent centuries building and nourishing and protecting and cherishing...and that was Seireitei and the entirety of Gotei 13.

But that didn't explain the unbridled hate in the old man's eyes.

Perhaps it was because the Espada were still children, and for the most part had not been swayed by good or evil and still walked the line between. Perhaps that was why they could so clearly see both sides while the older adults battled above them, putting on masks of kindness and helpfulness for the children even when they were so sunk in their own ways that they refused to see the heart of the problem and instead took out their anger on whoever happened to be nearby. And for the captains of the Gotei 13, that was the fiery man standing here. But the old man didn't have anyone to blame except for himself.

"Tôshirô Hitsugaya," said man roared suddenly, startling Ulquiorra out of his thoughts. "Are you aware of the treason you are committing against Seireitei?"

"No more treason than the rest of the captains have committed," Hitsugaya remarked quietly. "You noticed that not a single captain or lieutenant is here today besides yourself and Lieutenant Sasakibe, right, sir? Perhaps it is you who -"

"Silence!" the Captain-Commander commanded. "Have you forgotten what will happen if you disobey me, Captain Hitsugaya?"

"So you're admitting to blackmail?" Hitsugaya inquired, his voice still low.

The older man was stunned into silence.

"I will tell the whole world what you did," Hitsugaya continued. "How low you stooped for your aims."

"It was for the good of Seireitei!" Yamamoto roared. "Everything I have done is to keep the peace!"

"By commanding eleven innocent children to be slaughtered like animals?"

"Sometimes we must make sacrifice for the good of the body," Yamamoto said angrily. "And these children are far from innocent."

"And what are the guilty of?" Hitsugaya asked. "They are barely old enough to take care of themselves. No blood has stained their hands, no evil has stained their hearts. They are pure beings, and one has died at your hands. Instead of these children being the monsters, Head Captain, I believe that the monster is you."

"They were -!"

"What they were is no matter," Tôshirô said. "It is what they are now that is important. I was a fool not to see it before. But now I know." He gripped Karin closer to him, glancing at the three children on the floor, who flinched at his teal-eyed gaze. "Do you remember that day, Head Captain?" he asked.

"What day?" the old man practically spat.

"It was the day we brought all the Espada in for the first time. I'm sure you remember. You called me over after the meeting..."

* * *

><p><em>Even without his Soul Reaper uniform on under it, Kurosaki's mask was still a terrifying sight. Neither he or Muguruma had their zanpakuto with them, but the way they were able to swipe the specially trained Secret Remote Squad members away was a little terrifying, especially when Tôshirô himself had seen just how powerful the black-clad forces were. <em>

_Still, with all the might of the two men, it was useless. There were simply too many of the Secret Remote Squad, and even Vizards had their limits. Tôshirô did make the mistake of getting too close, however, and earned a nasty swipe to the head from Ichigo for his efforts. _

_It was admirable, really, the way the two men fought for children they didn't even know. But in the end it wasn't worth it. When they were finally overwhelmed, two of the Secret Remote Squad members had already spirited away Ulquiorra, and Hitsugaya left, not realizing that more than just the target had been brought in. _

_The Kurosaki's son, Sora..._

_...and his wife, Karin. _

_Back at Soul Society, he visited Squad Four briefly to get a look-see at his head, which turned out to be a bit more than a scratch and needed to be bandaged. Unohana pulled him aside after his treatment, and they found an empty room where they could talk without being overheard. _

_"You've heard about the Captain-commander's order to bring in the children Espada?" he asked her. _

_Her soft gaze was focused on something just past his ear, and she furrowed her eyebrows and nodded slowly. "He thinks they're a potential threat."_

_"I've heard that they'll undergo a criminal trial before Central 46 and may even face the ultimate sentence," Hitsugaya informed her, and her eyes snapped to his, shock rising on her face. _

_"It's just a rumor," Hitsugaya was quick to assure her, but the emotion did not pass from her face. _

_"To think that they'll even be tried...! It is beyond my comprehension," Unohana admitted. "We should call a meeting of the captains 2 through 13 and discuss this without the head captain."_

_Hitsugaya tensed up. "Are you sure, Unohana?" he probed. "If he were to find out..."_

_"We will have to make sure he doesn't find out," said the older woman seriously. Her gaze once again as focused in the distance. "This could mean life or death for those children..."_

_It didn't take long to round up all the captains. Each had different reactions to the news that the meeting was to be kept secret from the head captain, from Kuchiki's look of indifference and slight disdain to Zaraki's huge grin and that feral glint in his eye that suggested that things were finally getting interesting around here. Kurotsuchi waved his nail, bored, while Ukitake frowned concernedly and stopped to think about the consequences a meeting such as this may have. But in the end everyone came, and they sat around a large meeting table in Squad Three's empty barracks instead of the Captain General's large meeting room. _

_"It feels weird being in here without Ichimaru," Kyoraku remarked. _

_"And Tôsen, and Aizen, we get it," Soi Fon said a bit snappishly. "So why are we here, again? I have things to do and they don't involve keeping secrets from Head Captain Yamamoto."_

_"She has a bit of a point," Ukitake admitted. "Next thing we know we'll be the ones defecting from service."_

_"There's no need to go that far," Kuchiki remarked. _

_Komamura shifted in his seat. "I don't like this. At all," he announced. "I don't feel comfortable keeping secrets from Captain Yamamoto. After all, he was able to see past my appearance and accept me into the Go -"_

_"Yada, yada. We all know the story, there's no need to send us all t' sleep," Zaraki interrupted the wolfish captain, who glared. _

_"Ain't this how the Espada sat at their meetings?" Kyoraku observed, tipping his hat over his eyes. _

_Everyone looked around. The only difference was that their table was round while the Espada's was rectangular. _

_"That brings us to the point," Hitsugaya announced coolly, speaking up for the first time. He was dwarfed in his chair, but as usual, he didn't let his height get to him. "About those Espada kids."_

_Chatter broke out. _

_"Oh, yeah, I heard about that," Ukitake commented to Kyoraku. _

_"Fascinating, isn't it?" Kurotsuchi mused out loud. _

_"I had to send ten entire divisions of the Secret Remote Squad out to collect them!" Soi Fon complained to no one in particular. "What if we had been under attack? Seireitei would have fallen for sure with no troops to protect it."_

_"You've forgotten about all the Shinigami here, Soi Fon," Kuchiki reminded her, and she glared at him. _

_"What is it again?" Komamura asked. _

_A tick appeared in Hitsugaya's jaw. He closed his eyes and ground his teeth for a moment. _Will I be doomed to work with incompetents for the rest of my life?_ he wondered briefly, before he slammed his palms on the table and stood up abruptly, sending his chair toppling over. _

_The room went quiet as all the other captains looked at him and ceased their talking. _

_"Listen up," Hitsugaya said. "For some reason, the Espada have been reborn into children. Well, they're children now, but they'll become adults eventually."_

_"That's generally wha' tends t' happen," Zaraki sniggered. He returned Hitsugaya's death glare with a cocky sneer. _

_"Somehow they escaped Soul Society's notice for ten years," Hitsugaya continued, annoyance lacing through his voice. "But now they've been found, and the Head Captain is pushing for them to be brought before the Central 46 and be tried and sentenced."_

_"How old are they again?" Komamura asked the room at general. _

_"Ages range between five and ten, I heard," Kyoraku answered. _

_Hitsugaya's nostrils flared. "Was anyone listening to what I said!" he yelled. "The Head Captain wants eleven innocent children to be brought before the ultimate panel and maybe be sentenced to death!"_

_"Eleven?" Kurotsuchi asked. "I thought there were only ten Espada?"_

_"Lilinette Gingerbuck was also discovered, although we don't really know why," Ukitake told him. _

_"Excuse me, everyone," came a sweet voice, and everyone swiveled towards Unohana, who had been silent the entire meeting. She nodded at Hitsugaya. _

_"Thank you, Tôshirô," she said, sounding genuinely grateful, and Hitsugaya nodded to her before attempting to sit down and disappearing beneath the table with a thump. Everyone stared at him as he pulled himself up on the edge of the table, his eyes daring someone to laugh. He turned and ungracefully picked up his overturned chair before sitting in it. _

_"Excuse me," Unohana said again patiently. Somehow she managed to make the rest of the captains feel bad even though they hadn't done anything, and they all turned with guilty expressions on their faces. _

_"I don't think you are all grasping the seriousness of this situation," Unohana said. Her voice was captivating and serious as she gazed at each individual around the table, capturing each of their gazes in turn. "We are duty-bound to follow every order of the Head Captain without question. However, I look into all of your faces and see that this is one order you are not comfortable with following. Am I right?"_

_Under her piercing gaze, the men shifted somewhat uncomfortably, not wanting to admit that she was right, as usual. Soi Fon, however, frowned and spoke up. _

_"Look, I'm following you all," she said. "But I don't know what it is exactly that he's ordered us to do."_

_"There hasn't exactly been an order yet, besides to bring in the children," Unohana admitted. "But we can be sure that one will come soon. And if he orders us to stand by him and watch innocent children die, I know I cannot do that."_

_Kyoraku's easy smile was long gone from his face. He sighed and looked down, his hat casting a shadow over his face. "I agree with Retsu," he said quietly. "The blood of the innocent is something that need never be spilled. That's what we're talking about here. And that's not something I can do. That's not what the Gotei 13 stands for."_

_Heads were nodding around the table. Hitsugaya spoke up again. _

_"The important thing is that all of us stay on this side of things," he said. "If any one of us goes back to Captain Yamamoto's side, it's all over. Can we count on everyone to stand against this?"_

_A few looked a little uncertain, like Soi Fon and Komamura. Kuchiki still looked like he didn't care what happened on way or the other. But the others around the table were looking as determined as a bunch of old warriors could look. _

_"Right, then," Hitsugaya started. "So next we should definitely -"_

_They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Hitsugaya frowned. _

_"Yes?" he called._

_"Is Tôshirô Hitsugaya in this room?" called a voice. _

_Ukitake stood up. "Yes, he is," he called. "What do you want?"_

"_Captain-Commander Yamamoto has requested an audience with him."_

_The room was silent as everyone contemplated this request. Finally Hitsugaya closed his eyes in acceptance and pushed back his chair._

"_What's the worst that can happen?" he asked aloud. "I have nothing to be guilty of."_

_He pushed back his chair, managing to keep it upright this time, and swept from the room. The others watched him, no doubt wondering how a man with such small stature could still manage to look so royal and regal when he walked._

_There was a member of Squad Two's messenger division outside of the door, his triangle hat planted securely on his head. Hitsugaya swept past him in a billow of haori and the man shimmered away, back to wherever they went to when they weren't bothering people with annoying messages. Hitsugaya didn't know, and he didn't particularly care. _

_It didn't take him long to get to the squad one barracks. His stomach rumbled, reminding him unpleasantly of the disastrous dinner at the Kurosaki's. He doubted Orihime would ever forgive him. Actually when he thought about it, it didn't seem like she'd be angry about the interrupted dinner. More than likely she would be angrier that he had been so adamant that he bring in the small child they were harboring. But what did she expect? Her home was not a church; law enforcement could enter as they liked. Didn't she see that he was just following orders?_

_His mind drifted to his wife Karin. What would she do? He would have to go home soon, after the meeting with the Captain, and apologize for his actions. Hopefully his hot-headed lover would forgive him._

_He stood outside the doors and watched as they slowly opened for him, the symbol for 1 breaking in half as the doors swung outward. Hitsugaya stepped through and made his way to the room where he knew his Captain was, on the balcony overlooking Seireitei, bathed in an orange glow from the setting sun. He stood next to the door, but didn't announce his presence. He didn't need to; it was unnecessary. And the old man did not like unnecessary things._

"_Captain Hitsugaya."_

"_Yes, sir."_

_The old man's back was to him, but Hitsugaya knew exactly how he was standing; his hands on his wooden stick in front of him and his eyes closed, basking in the sun. "You came quickly," he said gruffly._

"_Of course, sir."_

_Now the captain turned around, looking at the silver-haired prodigy. "I presume you know why I have called you here today."_

"_The Espada children, sir?"_

"_Correct, as usual, Captain."_

_Hitsugaya didn't waste time being flattered. After a slight pause, Yamamoto continued._

"_Now this may surprise you, but being old doesn't always make you senile," Yamamoto said. A feeling of dread sunk in Hitsugaya's stomach. "I know that there is dissent among the captains. I know."_

_Hitsugaya was silent. _

"_And I can't have that. You know that, Captain Hitsugaya, just as well as I do. The Gotei 13 has got to be a banded company. We've all got to be on the same side. And right now I just need one more person on my side to help the Seireitei be safe from the Espada."_

"_Sir, they're not –"_

"_I know no one will join my side willingly. For some reason, the Captains all seem to think that the Espada are innocent. I don't see how they could, given the evidence of what happened ten years ago."_

_Hitsugaya tried again. "Sir, I don't think –"_

"_Captain Hitsugaya, I'm sure you realize that you are the only captain among us who is married?"_

_Hitsugaya's blood turned to ice. "No," he breathed._

"_Currently we have your wife, Hitsugaya Karin, here in our custody. If you cooperate with me, she will be safe. However, if you turn your back on me I shall have her killed instantly."_

_Shock danced across Hitsugaya's face; shock and horror. He was rooted to the ground, his teal eyes locked on the Captain-Commander's expressionless face._

"_I don't enjoy beating around the bush," growled the old man. "That is all there is to it. Work with me, and in a few days your wife will be released back to you. If you do not, you will never see her again. Good day."_

_Behind Hitsugaya, the doors opened. Two faceless guards stepped out and locked their hands around Hitsugaya's arms. They escorted him from the room, where the Captain-Commander turned back on his balcony to watch the sun set over his beloved city._

_Somehow he made it back to his office, where he sat shaking in his desk chair, rigid. He found he was having a hard time breathing._

_How could he possibly choose?_

_How did he choose between eleven lives and one? Eleven children he did not know or one woman whom he loved very, very dearly?_

_He turned his hands over and stared into his palms. He'd heard of a fortune-telling-like technique in which humans looked into each other's palms and read the futures apparently inscribed there. Studying his own palm, he wondered what it said to those who could speak its language. Which way did he go? Which path did he choose? _How_ did he choose? Was this even a possible choice?_

_Eleven children who had barely lived, or one woman who was his entire life?_

_He ran his hands aggravatedly through his hair, but was stopped by the cloth bandage tied 'round his skull. He left his fingers resting on it, thinking about how it had gotten there. _

It was admirable, really, the way the two men fought for children they didn't even know.

_Admirable. But in the end, it wasn't even worth it. He remembered how the children had been snatched away, how Kurosaki and Muguruma had been overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of men. Admirable, but that was all. Nothing more, nothing gained or lost. Just admiration that quickly faded and withered like flowers left in the sun._

_He stood, making up his mind, and swept from the office. Down, down, feeling for his lieutenant's reatsu as he went, until he arrived in the dank dungeons._

_Inside was a loud chaotic mess. It appeared that the lieutenants had been assigned to collect the Espada children and bring them before the Head Captain. _But of course_, Hitsugaya thought, _when that lot is told to do anything it just ends in total mayhem.

_"Everybody stop!" he yelled._

_Every single eye was on him. He drew himself up and strutted into the room, glancing at the cell and then pausing in shock when he realized what everyone had been arguing about. Inside the cell, curled protectively into the chest of the Espada Ulquiorra – who was a bit younger than he was when Hitsugaya last saw him – was his nephew, Sora Kurosaki._

_In fact, _all_ of the Espada were looking a bit younger. Hitsugaya's resolve began to weaken, but then he thought of Karin's smiling face. He knew he had to keep up his mask or the Head Captain might kill her._

_"Captain!" Matsumoto called, surprised. "What are you doing here?"_

_Hitsugaya turned away from the children with effort._

_"What happened, sir?" Lieutenant Kira asked._

_"Kurosaki's Hollowfication, as well as Kensei Muguruma," Hitsugaya said grimly. "We got cornered bringing in number four. We managed to overwhelm the two of them with sheer numbers, plus the fact that neither had their zanpakutos with them… Well, I'm lucky I got away with just this. Now, on to the matter of the Kurosaki boy…"_

_His eyes narrowed. He wanted to make every person in this room hurt just as much as he was hurting. There was no turning back now – he had to go above and beyond in his act of ruthlessness of else the Head Captain would think he was not entirely faithful. He was watching even now, Hitsugaya knew._

_"…your nephew…" Matsumoto muttered, and a bunch of the people gasped._

_"Captain! He's your family! You must get him -!"_

_Hitsugaya closed his eyes. "Okay, I understand you now, Kuchiki…" He opened his eyes, and they locked onto Sora. The Espada next to him – Ulquiorra – stared back at him defiantly, and Hitsugaya tried to stop his stomach from lurching and quell the unease that clouded his mind at the young boy's pale face._

_"While it's true that I did not intend for the Secret Remote Squad (under the supervision of Captain Soi Fon, I may add) to capture Sora Kurosaki, it's true that we can use this to our advantage. I know full well that Kurosaki-san can easily storm Seireitei as he did years ago, since he was victorious then (in a rather roundabout way) and his powers have nearly doubled since then. Still, we can hold this boy ransom…if we hold a virtual sword to his neck, Kurosaki would never dare to come to get these monsters. We can release the boy back to his family after we deal with the Espada."_

_There was a shocked silence._

_"I'm sorry, sir, but that's just-" Lieutenant Abarai protested._

_"Sir, I must protest," said Lieutenant Hisagi. "That is not the way this operation runs. We're not catching dogs, here – these are people we're talking about." He waved his hand at the cell._

_Hitsugaya regarded him coldly. "These are not people, Lieutenant Hisagi… They're monsters."_

* * *

><p>Hitsugaya turned to Captain Yamamoto, anger burning in his icy eyes. "That was when I knew I had everyone fooled. I had to keep going, there was no turning back. Especially with Karin's life on the line." His hand tightened around her.<p>

"You should'a let me die, you big fool," Karin said, but she wasn't angry. She turned her face into his haori, and Ulquiorra could see that her back was shaking.

"And now that you have no more jailbait," Hitsugaya said, "and everyone knows what you have done, you've lost, Captain-Commander Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto."

"I just wanted to protect everyone," the captain said quietly, his sword hanging by his side, the fight gone from his body.

"Well, I am sorry. You didn't. A child is dead and it's your fault," Hitsugaya said. "And now, if you'll excuse us, I think we had best be heading home."

**SO I know this was basically all flashback but I don't think it was too bad :D R&R?**


	16. Boy Meets The End

**A/N: Hey guys, what's up. I'm sorry if I misled you this time. This is actually the very last chapter…SAD RIGHT? I know, I'm going to miss it too. Which is why…(drumroll please)…I'm going to (PROBABLY) be** **doing a drabble collection sequel to this story. I'm sorry but if this even gets published it won't be until sometime in 2013, most likely. :( I have too many stories about to get launched, and I can't do another one on top of that. If it **_**does**_** get published, I'll post a notice on this story so that all you lovelies will know. Because, seriously, guys. My Espada boys (and girl, but boys sounds better) are just too interesting of characters to pass up. Think about a 12-year-old Grimmjow, for example. XD Preteen love, man. Maybe even Nel will come in. I'm toying with some ideas now that may come into play.**

**As a side note, in the next week or so I'm publishing a new story entitled **_**Before You Faded**_**, which is a GrimmNel and mostly takes place back when Grimm was the 12****th**** Arrancar and Nel was the 3****rd****. It's written in 2****nd**** person and is pretty interesting if I do say so myself. So check it out :D**

**Disclaimer: For the very last time…I do not own Bleach. :')**

* * *

><p>The rest of the day was a bit of a blur for Ulquiorra. He stayed the night at the Kurosaki's apartment, on a futon in the twins' room. Sora was safe in bed, snuggled up next to his big teddy bear. His reunion with his parents was mostly one sided, as usual - Sensei cried and held him close, and he stared, wide-eyed, over her shoulder.<p>

Everyone had also made it home safely - everyone, that is, except Lilinette. Her body had been saved from the Soul Society and delivered to her parents. What they had been told, Ulquiorra didn't know. He was glad to just be asleep in a warm bed, instead of dead in a cold grave.

The next morning they woke, ate breakfast, and then Sensei took him grocery shopping almost like nothing had happened. For Ulquiorra, this was a new experience - he'd never been in a grocery store before, and seeing all the food just there was awe-striking. He sat in the cart with his knees pulled up, trying to read every label on every package as Sensei slowly buried him in products. It was like a dream come true, sitting in a mountain of food.

When they got home, Sensei asked him to grab the mail, so he did. When he got to the mailbox he opened it and drew out a stack of magazines, as well as a fancy black envelope. He ran to Sensei and showed her, and she opened it with a confused frown, pulling out the letter inside. Then her face fell.

"What does it say?" Ulquiorra asked her.

"It's an invitation," she said, biting her lip.

"An invitation to what?"

But she wouldn't tell him. They went up to the apartment, Ulquiorra thinking the whole way about that fancy black envelope, and then Sensei showed it to Mr. Ichigo. Her husband took the envelope, glanced at it, and then pushed on his reading glasses and glanced again.

"Why're they inviting us?" he asked.

"I think they're mostly inviting Ulquiorra."

"How do they know he lives here?"

"Her brother most likely told them."

Mr. Ichigo pulled down his glasses and looked over them at Ulquiorra. "Well, I suppose that makes sense. Let's get him something nice to wear so he can go tomorrow with you."

He ate lunch with them, warm macaroni which slipped down his throat and warmed him from the inside out. Then he and Sensei were off again, this time with Masaki and Sora. They drove to a little shop and went inside, where Ulquiorra was greeted with racks and racks of clothing. Sensei pulled a black button-down shirt and slacks from a rack and brought them to the cashier, where she paid and they drove off again. It was a very fast process.

"Who wants to go to the park?" Sensei called over her shoulder at her children in the backseat. Masaki cheered and kicked her legs, and Sora raised his head and looked straight at his mother. Even Ulquiorra nodded, so she turned in the direction of the park.

It didn't take them long to arrive. Sensei unlatched the gate and let her children spill onto the playground. As she was leading the twins to the swings, she called to Ulquiorra.

"Want to come swing?"

"No, I'm good," Ulquiorra declined, and walked up the small slope to the sandbox, standing at the frame and staring into it.

He could still see the remnants of his Las Noches in the sandbox. It had been a couple of days, but the sand had remained untouched - the building had simply eroded away. He could still the faint letters in the sand: L...A...S...N...O...C...H...E...S, which he had written with no idea of what it had meant. Now he knew. But he wished he could go back.

Maybe if I hadn't known, Lilinette would still be alive, he thought bitterly. But then he realized that Soul Society would have found them anyway.

Ulquiorra pulled off his sneakers with little trouble, because they were so big on him. He stepped in the sand, feeling the cool grains filling the gaps between his toes, cushioning the ball of his foot, cooling his heels. He sank down in the white expanse, folding his legs down and settling himself to rebuild his castle with the trowel lying there.

"Hey, gimme that!"

Ulquiorra looked up, seeing Grimm standing there, silhouetted by the bright afternoon sun.

"You mean this?" he asked, waving the trowel at his blue-haired friend.

"Yeah. Give it to me," Grimm said, extending his hand for the tool. Ulquiorra withdrew it and looked at the boy witheringly.

"What do you say? Were you born in a barn? Seriously, Grimm."

The other boy looked taken aback, but his surprise quickly turned into a scowl. He kicked off his sneakers and stepped into the sandbox next to his solemn friend, dropping into the sand and glancing over Ulquiorra's creation.

"How's Las Noches doing, Ul-kee-or-ra?"

"Good," Ulquiorra said without thinking. "Even though it has been a few days it seemed to survive."

They sat in a slightly surprised silence for a moment. Then Grimm stood again, already bored.

"This is dumb," he announced. "Let's fight with swords. Here." He climbed out of the sandbox with his bare feet and walked carefully over the mulch to a pile of sticks. He selected two and tossed one to Ulquiorra, climbing back to the sandbox. The smaller boy stood, grabbing his stick, and faced Grimm.

"Mine's Pantera and yours is Murciélago, right, Ul-kee-or-ra?" he confirmed.

"Right."

"Goody!" Grimm said, and swung abruptly. Ulquiorra brought his sword up, and the sticks collided with a loud crack. Grimm didn't waste time recovering from the blow; he immediately jumped away and swung for Ulquiorra's knees. The smaller boy leaped agilely over the branch and landed solidly, then swung forward with an attack of his own.

"You fight like you have done this before," Ulquiorra commented dryly.

"That's what Lieutenant Abarai said," Grimm claimed proudly.

"That is what everyone in Soul Society said," Ulquiorra added, aiming for Grimm's side. The bluenette blocked effortlessly and went for his own jab, which Ulquiorra parried. "That's why we went there, right?"

"You got it." Grimm's face showed how hard he was concentrating. His blue eyebrows were furrowed, his lips were pursed, the white spot on his face was shining. He thrust hard at Ulquiorra, and the small boy blocked. Their eyes locked together; viridian and azure, holding each other's gazes, not looking away.

Suddenly Ulquiorra could see the sparks from their metal swords hitting together, hear the screech of blade on blade, see the maniac smile on his friend's face and the bone mask on his cheek. He could see the edges of his helmet in his peripheral vision. See the white uniform swirling, edges soaked in Grimm's – no, _Grimmjow's_ – sweat and blood, the blue-wrapped handle and S-shaped hilt Pantera bore. He saw himself clutching his pastel-handled blade with ivory hands, black nails cutting into his palm. He saw the tendons in his hands straining, feel muscles in his arms he didn't know he had working to keep that lethal weapon in Grimmjow's hands away from his hierro skin and beating heart.

Ulquiorra raised one hand from Murciélago.

"_Cero."_

The boys flew apart, gasping. Back were the sticks and the T-shirts and weirdly wrinkled skin and jeans. The glory Ulquiorra had felt for a moment had disappeared.

"Let's not…do that anymore, Ul-kee-or-ra," Grimm panted, and Ulquiorra nodded his assent. The boys sat with their backs against a tree, contemplating the sticks they had tossed on the ground. Finally Grimm spoke up.

"Are ya going to Lilinette's funeral?"

"What funeral?" Ulquiorra was startled.

"She's dead, you know." Grimm's voice was flat and lifeless. "Her family's holding a funeral service for her tomorrow."

"Oh." Ulquiorra suddenly remembered the black envelope, the way Sensei's face had fallen when she'd seen what was written on it. The new black slacks and button down. "Yes, I am."

"Alright." Grimm got up. "I should go, but I'll see ya tomorrow, right, Ul-kee-or-ra?"

"Yes. I will see you there."

* * *

><p>It was a hassle, getting bathed that morning and putting on that nice black shirt. Ulquiorra was almost afraid to move in his new clothes, worried that they would get dirty. But he would go through with the hassle, if not for Lilinette.<p>

The drive to the funeral home with Sensei was quiet. Ulquiorra stole sideways glances at his teacher to see that she had puffy eyes that were red. He was pretty sure that that either meant she had allergies or she had been crying, and since it was early fall he reckoned it was probably the last one. She had lost a student, after all, but Sensei seemed like the kind of woman who would do anything to prevent anyone – friend or foe – from dying. Especially children.

They pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. Ulquiorra smoothed his clothes nervously and was about to push back his hair when he saw Grimm and the others all standing in a huddle near the door. He glanced at Sensei for permission, and she nodded, so he went to join the others.

"You're the last one here," Nnoitra said.

"Sorry." Ulquiorra really meant it, but his words were directed at Starrk more than anyone. The older boy's eyes were also red and baggy, but they were dry. His body was slumped, his head slightly bowed like he couldn't hold himself up anymore. Hallie was holding his hand in a comforting way, and he seemed to be clinging to her support to her like a drowning sailor on a life boat.

"So you guys are all alright?" Grimm asked the seven children who had been rescued by the Vizards.

'Porro pushed up his glasses with a black-gloved hand. "Shinji-san and the others took us to this warehouse and fed us," he said, "but they didn't take us home until you three had been found and delivered and were safe."

"Thanks a lot," Barragan grumbled.

"You're welcome," Grimm sneered, but Yammy laid a surprisingly gentle hand on his arm. Everyone looked at the giant eight-year-old in surprise, even Zommari. Yammy's gaze was focused on something in the distance, and his eyes were hard.

"Don't." Was all he said. Grimm looked almost ashamed and backed down, and they all stood in silence for a moment.

Ulquiorra looked around at everyone. All ten of them were clad in black, mourning the spunky little girl. Even Hallie was wearing a dress, and she had a black scarf 'round her neck that covered her face. Nnoitra still had on his Espada eye patch.

"Shall we go in?" Zommari finally suggested, and the boys and Hallie all nodded and made for the big glass doors. Ulquiorra felt a hand in his, and looked down to see Grimm clasping his hand. Surprised, he looked at his friend's face. Grimm's face was more intense than he had ever seen before, and his eyes were filling with tears.

Ulquiorra squeezed the small hand in his, giving comfort to his best friend, and together they walked inside.

There was a reserved row for the Espada children, and they filed into it. A man stood up at the front of the room – Ulquiorra guessed he was a priest, judging from his attire – and said a few things about Lilinette. Ulquiorra was too distracted by the casket behind the man to really hear what he was saying. It wasn't an open-lid ceremony – the fact that it was a small child probably prevented that – but it was a gorgeous coffin, and it was decorated with pink and green flora and a white cloth draped over the top. It was raised on a table so you could look carefully at it, and imagine the tiny little girl inside, with the green hair and almost pink eyes and the rebellious attitude and carefree laugh. She had been a right whippersnapper, alive; but Ulquiorra was afraid that in death she would just be a vulnerable little thing, that death couldn't paint her picture of life.

Then after the priest sat, Grimm stood up for some reason, and Yammy followed. The two boys walked to the front. Ulquiorra looked in confusion at Hallie, who pressed a finger over where her lips were under the scarf. He turned his attention to the front again, still confused, in time to see Yammy slide down at the piano and Grimm fit a violin under his chin and put a bow to the string.

Ulquiorra didn't even have time to be shocked that such a crass boy could play such a lovely instrument before Grimm began to play. He drew his bow across the string in a lamenting melody, a haunting melody, a melody that he seemed to be both inventing from his mind and one that he knew as well as his own self. His fingers danced across the strings, tapping all four light as a feather, his hand vibrating as he trilled the high notes and beat down the low notes, zipping from G to E and then slowly climbing back down. If the violin was a black-haired beauty with a silky red dress, with wine-colored lipstick and heavy-lidded eyes, a woman who wore stilettos and walked with high knees and left grace and awe in her path: then Grimmjow Jeagerjaques was the rebel that tamed her, the one who took that elegant hand and kissed it with his little-boy-rebel mouth, who lowered his eyes and danced her into his arms, made her sing for him. He was the boy who stood at the front of the room at his friend's funeral, the one who cried while he played, the tears running down his cheeks and splashing on his chin rest and the four tuning pegs at his jaw, who closed his eyes and poured out his soul into that violin, his bow arm working feverishly and his left hand flying over the strings. Next to him, Yammy stroked the piano, playing in a minor key on the lower half of the instrument, leaving plenty of space for Grimm and his black-haired beauty to dance together for Lilinette.

Ulquiorra's eyes burned, and next thing he knew he could feel his own tears sliding down his cheeks, tracing the path that the green marks made, even as he watched Grimm play his heart into the violin. And when he finally lifted the bow from the string, and Yammy pressed the last key, and the note rang in the air and Grimm stood with his bow lifted there an inch above the string, his fingers still curved into the fingerboard. The note sparkled and shimmered and then when it finally faded away, that's when everyone stood and put their hands together for that boy – the five-year-old who played with the skill of an expert. He played that for his dead friend Lilinette, the one who was sleeping in the coffin behind him, the one who would never wake.

Grimm lifted the violin from his chin and tucked it carefully under his arm, then faced the audience and bowed low. When he stood, his face was dripping with tears. He turned.

Grimm ran from the room so quickly Ulquiorra almost didn't see him go. He pushed the doors open and sprinted from the room. No one seemed to notice – everyone was wiping their eyes and sitting back down and murmuring to each other. Ulquiorra didn't realize what he was doing – pushing the others aside, elbowing his way to the door and running through, following the sound of Grimm's footsteps to the courtyard where they had come in.

The blue-haired boy was standing with his back to Ulquiorra, clutching his violin to his chest. Ulquiorra walked to his friend's side and lightly put his hand on his shoulder.

"You're going to judge me now, right, Ul-kee-or-ra?"

Grimm's voice was quiet, so quiet he was barely speaking. He turned to Ulquiorra, and the tears were still pouring down his cheeks. "You're going to hate me now. Hate and judge and not want to be my friend, right?"

"Why would I do that?" Ulquiorra asked. Tentatively, he reached out and touched the instrument. "I thought that was incredible."

"Everyone does," Grimm said. "You will too, Ul-kee-or-ra. No one wants to be my friend after they hear me play."

"It's their loss," Ulquiorra said. "But I am not going to miss out. Want to know why, Grimmjow? We're best friends. I wouldn't miss out on that for anything."

Grimm's face broke into a smile, and he hugged Ulquiorra around the violin. "Want to know what else we are, Ulquiorra?"

"What?"

"We're home."

* * *

><p><strong>So that's it. :- **

**Hope not everyone is crying at this point. I'm sorry, I know funerals are always sad, especially when they're for kids. But I'm glad you all read it, as well as this story. It was a pretty crazy ride, you know? What with that 34,000+ word chapter and child death among other things. But I really couldn't have done it without all of you reviewers, and now, as anyone who is familiar with my work knows,** **I'd like to take a moment to thank each and every reviewer. :D**

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